Alexander Bestuzheff, a Russian poet and patriot, born at his father's country seat in the government of Voronezh in 1795, killed in battle in the Caucasus in June, 1837. He was educated in one of the imperial military establishments, and became aide-de-camp of Duke Alexander of Wurtemberg in 1825. He edited jointly with Ryeleyetf, in 1823, the literary almanaci entitled the "Northern Star," and with him became implicated in the conspiracy and insurrection of 1825. For this he was degraded to the rank of a private without the privilege of promotion, and sent to Yakutsk in Siberia, together with his equally implicated brothers Nicholas and Michael, Ryeleyetf being executed. Here, under the name of the Cossack Marlinsky, he wrote small novels and sketches for the "Telegraph," a periodical of Moscow, and for some others. After two or three years, by a special order of the emperor Nicholas, he was transferred to the army of the Caucasus. There his adventurous and dangerous life had its effect on his style, and he now showed a great talent for description and for analysis of human character and passions.

The more considerable of his writings during this period are two novels, Mullah Nur and Ammalat Beg. Toward the year 1836 Nicholas relented and permitted the advancement of Bestuzheif from the ranks; but shortly afterward he was killed, along with a considerable detachment of Russian soldiers, by the mountaineers, in an ambush near Yeka-terinodar.