Maurice de Saxe
When Aleksandr Menshikov contested Courland's throne with Maurice de Saxe, Bestuzhev supported the latter. In response, Menshikov had him arrested and delivered to Saint Petersburg. After Duchess Anna (who had supported him heretofore) accused him of mismanaging her affairs and embezzling the ducal treasury, only the intercession of his sons - Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin and Aleksey Bestuzhev - helped him avoid criminal prosecution.