Alexander Petrovich Yermolov, future general, was born on June 4, 1772, in Moscow into a poor noble family. He received his education at home and at the Noble Boarding School at Moscow University. Registered in the army from childhood, he began active military service in 1792 in the Nizhyn Dragoon Regiment with the rank of captain. In 1794, he participated in the war against Poland, and in 1796, he fought in Persia (what Iran was called until 1935) and soon became a lieutenant colonel.

Yermolov, fascinated by the Enlightenment ideas of the French republicans, was arrested for participating in an officer's political circle and after a brief imprisonment in the Peter and Paul Fortress, was exiled to Kostroma.

After the death of Paul I in 1801, Yermolov was pardoned and continued his service, although his superiors disliked him for his 'impudence' and independence. He participated in military campaigns against France in 1805 and 1807, in the Patriotic War of 1812, and in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army in 1813 and 1814, and was promoted to major general in 1808. In 1816, he was appointed commander of the Separate Georgian Corps and commander-in-chief of the civil part in the Caucasus and Astrakhan province.

Yermolov's activities in the Caucasus evoke controversial assessments: he is considered the main inspirer of colonial conquest, using harsh measures against the mountaineers, as well as an initiative and talented statesman defending Russia's interests in the region. Yermolov's popularity among the troops raised concerns in the government, and in 1827 he was removed from command and dismissed from service. He lived for more than thirty years in Moscow and Oryol without active involvement. In 1831 and 1839, Alexei Petrovich was a member of the State Council, and during the Crimean War (1853-1856), he was elected commander of the militia in seven provinces. Yermolov was known as one of the wittiest people of his time and left memoirs with detailed descriptions of military events.

He passed away on April 23, 1861, in Moscow and, according to his will, was buried in Oryol, in the church of the Trinity Cemetery, next to his father.