Theophanes also reports that he rebelled along with "some of his fellow tourmarchai", indicating a wider dissatisfaction among the provincial commanders. As Alexander Vasiliev remarked, Sicily had already shown tendencies against the imperial government before, such as the revolts of Basil Onomagoulos in 718 and Elpidius in 781–2. According to Vasiliev, the ambitious commander simply used an opportune moment, when the Byzantine government was weakened by the recent rebellion of Thomas the Slav and by its preoccupation with the contemporary Muslim conquest of Crete, to seize power.
Theophanes also reports that he rebelled alongside "some of his fellow tourmarchai", indicating a broader dissatisfaction among the provincial commanders. As Alexander Vasiliev remarked, Sicily had already demonstrated tendencies against the imperial government before, such as the revolts of Basil Onomagoulos in 718 and Elpidius in 781–2. According to Vasiliev, the ambitious commander simply took advantage of an opportune moment when the Byzantine government was weakened by the recent rebellion of Thomas the Slav and its preoccupation with the contemporary Muslim conquest of Crete, to seize power.