He was born in 1767 in Saint Petersburg, the son of Admiral Vasily Chichagov and his English wife.

He served with distinction in the Russian-Swedish War of 1788–1790, where he commanded the Rostislav and was awarded the Order of St. George, fourth degree, and a golden sword with the inscription "For Courage".

In 1802, Alexander I, Paul's successor, promoted Chichagov to Vice Admiral and made him a member of the Committee on Navy Reorganization.

In 1812, Alexander recalled him and appointed him Commander in Chief of the newly formed Third Western Army[1] and Governor-General of Moldavia and Wallachia.

However, the 1812 Treaty of Bucharest ended the Russo-Turkish War by the time he took command of the Army of the Danube.