Alexander Tormasov

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Portrait by George Dawe from the Military Gallery

Count Alexander Petrovich Tormasov (Russian: Александр Петрович Тормасов) (11 August 1752 – 13 November 1819) was a Russian chivalry General prominent during the Napoleonic Wars.

Alexander Tormasov came from an old noble family. At the age of ten years he started his services as Page of Honour, in 1772 he became a lieutenant of Vyatka infantry regiment but in few weeks went under command of Yakov Bruce as aide-de-camp. Three years later Tormasov has formed and headed the Finland chasseur regiment in the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1782 Prince Potemkin charged to him an operation in Crimea. After that Tormasov received the Dolmatsky hussar regiment on the base of which and of Macedonian hussar regiment he formed and then commanded the Aleksandrian light chivalry regiment in the rank of colonel.

In 1788-1791 he took part in the Russo-Turkish War and was promoted to Major General on 21 March 1791. In 1792 and 1796 he successfully acted against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Polish-Russian War of 1792 and Kościuszko Uprising.

As well as many others generals of this time, he was dissmissed by Emperor Paul I on 11 July 1799 and several months he was prisoned in the Dünamünde fortress. On 16 November 1800 he was restored in the Army. On 15 September 1801, in the day of the coronation of Emperor Alexander I he was promoted to Full General of chivalry. Later he taked up an administarative posts until 1803.

From 1803 he was in offices of Kiev, Minsk and from 1807 Riga War Governors. From 1809 to 1811, he served as a Viceroy of Georgia and the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus. After the French invasion of Russia began, on 25 March 1812 Alexander Tormasov became the Chief Commander of the the Third Army of the West. After arrival of Pavel Chichagov he acted under command of Mikhail Kutuzov. After the death of Pyotr Bagration he commanded the Second Army of the West and later the Main Army. He was prominent in numerous battles, especially of Maloyaroslavets, Krasnoye and Lützen.

Because of poor health he left military service and became a member of the State Council. On 30 August 1814 he followed Count Fyodor Rostopchin as General Governor of Moscow Governorate. Two years later he received a comital title.

After his death in Moscow on November 13, 1819, he was buried in the Donskoy Monastery. Tormasov's only son died in 1839 and thus this family became extinct.

Preceded by: Andrei Fensh	War Governor of Kiev Governorate 1803 – 1806	Succeeded by: Mikhail Kutuzov
Preceded by: Fyodor Rostopchin	War Governor of Moscow Governorate 1814 – 1819	Succeeded by: Dmitriy Golitsyn