Photeinos 9 was a great-grandfather of the empress Zoe (the mother of the emperor Constantine VII) (Zoe 1, and see PBE II); in the reign of Michael II (Michael 10), when Crete fell to the Arabs under Abu Hafs 1, Photeinos was a protospatharios and strategos of the Anatolikoi; he was put in charge of Crete by the emperor (καὶ δὴ τὸν πρωτοσπαθάριον Φωτεινόν, πρόπαππον μὲν Ζωῆς τῆς ἐν μακαρίᾳ τῇ λήξει θεοστέπτου Αὐγούστης τυγχάνοντα, στρατηγοῦντα δὲ τηνικαῦτα τῶν Ἀνατολικῶν, τὰ τῆς Κρήτης ἅπαντα διοικεῖν προεβάλετο); he visited the island and saw and heard for himself the situation; he reported to Michael 10 and asked for an adequate force to be sent to expel the hostile intruders; an army was sent to him (εἰς βοήθειαν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ Φωτεινοῦ) under the command of Damianos 9, and together they joined battle with the Arabs; the Romans were defeated and fled, Damianos 9 perishing in the battle, while Photeinos 9 escaped in a rowing boat to carry the news in person back to the emperor; he was removed from his command, but, because he was highly regarded by Michael 10, was appointed strategos of Sicily (ἀλλ' οὗτος μὲν ἐπεὶ διὰ τιμῆς ἤγετο παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀεί, τὴν τῆς Σικελίας στρατηγίδα αὖθις τῆς Κρήτης ἀλλάσσεται): Theoph. Cont. II 22 (pp. 76-77), cf. Scyl., p. 43, 54-55 (ὃς τῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ Φωτεινῷ τῶν Ἀνατολικῶν στρατηγοῦντι τὰ τῆς Κρήτης ἅπαντα ἀνατίθησιν). Cf. also Krateros 1.

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