His great-great-grandfather, Mamatkul Biy, had been a high-ranking chief (manap [ru]) amongst the northern Kyrgyz and was proclaimed khan in 1758.

Ormon's grandfather, Esenkul Biy [ky], permanently settled Kyrgyz tribes [ru] in the Chüy and Talas valleys.

[4] Ormon was trained in horseback riding and fighting with sword and spear from a young age, and he was skilled at kurash wrestling.

[6] At the kurultai, Ormon argued that the tribes of northern Kyrgyzstan would be stronger united against external threats, including Kokand and the encroaching Russian Empire, which had been constructing outposts nearby.

First, a tebetei, which is a traditional Kyrgyz headdress with a red top, was placed on Ormon's head as a crown, and he was then put on a white felt mat and raised in the air three times.

Death sentences were carried out several times annually at a gallows (darga), which was intended to instill fear in both his subjects and neighboring tribes.

Ormon's external affairs were described as being part of the Terror Ormonicus: the khanate would act "manipulative, arrogant, and deceitful" towards diplomats from Kokand, Tashkent, and the Kazakhs.

However, after consulting with tribal elders, Ormon rejected Kenesary's proposal and began raiding subjects loyal to the Kazakhs.

In April 1847, Kenesary raised an army of around 20,000 soldiers and invaded the Chüy Valley, encamping at the village of Maitobe near the modern city of Tokmok, intending to conquer the Kyrgyz tribes and become their sultan.

[6][10] Showing himself to be a talented military strategist, Ormon tricked the Kazakh army into thinking the Kyrgyz forces had a larger size than in actuality.

[13] After this, two Kazakh sultans, Rustem Aspandiaruly and Sypatai [ru], betrayed Kenesary and fled from field, taking a large portion of the army with them.

[11] Kenesary was executed at the Chukar Sengir Hill near the Kara-Suu River, and his head was sent to the Russian commander at Omsk and later to Emperor Nicholas I.

[12] The Russians were grateful with the execution of Kenesary, and rewarded the Kyrgyz leaders, granting Ormon and Jantay with gold medals and gold-embroidered robes.

The feud was caused by several reasons, including the Sarybagysh having poor pasture lands and wishing to expand, the Bugu refusing to extradite a man who betrayed Ormon, and an attempt by the Bugu to form an alliance with the Russians against Ormon, which was caused by the domination of the Sarybagysh over the other tribes in the khanate.

[15][16] The two sides began raiding each other, and Ormon officially declared war, receiving assistance from Kokand, who wished to show their value as an ally.

Ormon is believed to be buried either in a pasture near Semyonovka or above the village of Grigor'yevka in the foothills of the Küngöy Ala-Too Range.

Torogeldi and Ormon's son Umetaaly led a series of reprisals against the Bugu, razing settlements and taking many captives.

[18][20] The Bugu were defeated in a battle on the north shore of Issyk-Kul and were forced to retreat towards China, where they hoped the Qing officials in East Turkestan would offer assistance, as Borombay had previously been a Chinese subject.

[18] After being rejected by the Chinese, who did not want to assist the Russian-aligned tribe, the Bugu fled to Russia and formally became Russian subjects.

[22] The following year, Umetaaly led a rebellion against the Russians, but was defeated at Ak-Talaa and forced to flee to Kashgar in East Turkestan.

His admirers see him as a national hero who united the tribes of northern Kyrgyzstan and created the first Kyrgyz state, referring to him as "Kyzyl Tebetey".

Russian archaeologist Alexander Natanovich Bernshtam [ru] compared Ormon to a miniature version of Ivan the Terrible.