 During the late reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886–912), he married the sister of Constantine Barbaros, the Emperor's powerful "parakoimomenos", and rose to the post of Domestic of the Schools.Although personally brave and not without some measure of success against the Arabs in the East, his ability as a general was rather limited.Steven Runciman attributed his rise more to his aristocratic origin and his familial connection with the "parakoimomenos" Constantine.