Mahmood was born about 1470 the son of
Muhammad Shah Lashkari. He ascended the throne at age 12 on 26 March 1482 (Safar 5, 887 AH). The new Regency was formed with the Queen as president and
Malik Na'ib, one of the conspirators behind the death of
Mahmud Gawan, as regent. His early reign was characterised by the conflict between the rising power of newcomers, epitomised by
Yusuf Adil Shah, and the traditional
Deccani nobles, led by Malik Na'ib. After a failed attempt to assassinate Yusuf Adil Shah, the sultan retired to
Bijapur and left the running of the country in the hands of a viceroy or ''Malik Na'ib'', Nizam-ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri, and his fellow Deccani. The Malik Na'ib himself was assassinated in 1486. An attempt to assassinate the sultan by Deccani in 1487 led to the slaughter of many Deccani and the strengthening of the newcomers' position. The Sultan's obviously weak position led to increasing unrest amongst the nobles, particularly the powerful regional governors, some of whom, like
Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk quietly assumed the titles of royalty. Others led in open rebellion.
Qasim Barid I led one of the first revolt from
Bidar and successfully defeated the army sent by the sultan to rein him in. Qasim Barid was raised to
Barid-ul-mumalik and made prime minister and de facto ruler, while the sultan lived a life of indulgence. The King's expenditure was so high that he had jewels extracted from the
Turquoise throne and used for payment. On 28 May 1490,
Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I revolted and defeated the Bahmani army led by general Jahangir Khan. He built a palace, making it the center of the newly created
Ahmednagar Sultanate. Yusuf Adil Shah followed suit creating the
Adil Shahi dynasty centered at
Bijapur, with Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk creating the
Berar Sultanate within the year. Qasim Barid founded the
Bidar Sultanate centered at
Bidar in 1492 while
Golconda Sultanate became independent under
Quli Qutb Shah in 1518 whose capital was at
Golconda in modern
Hyderabad.
Krishnadevaraya marched towards
Bidar in pursuit of
Barid. Upon engaging in battle, he emerged victorious and captured the fort. As a testament to his diplomatic and strategic acumen,
Krishnadevaraya restored Sultan Mahmud Shah to power in
Bidar, symbolizing his commitment to fostering discord among his Muslim neighbors. In recognition of this significant act, Krishnadevaraya adopted the title of 'Yavana-rajya-sthapana-charya.' On Qasim Barid's death in 1504, the title of prime minister was passed to his son Amir Barid. The Sultan died on 27 December 1518 (Zil-hij 24, 924 AH) and was succeeded by his son Ahmed. ==Sources==