Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah III, born Mahmud Khan was a sultan of the Muzaffarid dynasty who reigned over the Gujarat Sultanate, a late medieval kingdom in India from 1537 to 1554. He had to battle frequently with his nobles who were interested in independence, especially Darya Khán and Imád-ul-Mulk. He was killed by one of his servants. Background Bahadur Shah had no son, hence there was some uncertainty regarding succession after his death. Muhammad Zaman Mirza, the fugitive Timurid prince made his claim on the ground that Bahadur's mother adopted him as her son. The nobles selected Bahadur's nephew Miran Muhammad Shah I of Khandesh as his successor, but he died on his way to Gujarat. Finally, the nobles selected Mahmud Khan, the son of Bahadur's brother Latif Khan as his successor and he ascended to the throne as Mahmud Shah III on 10 May 1538, when only eleven years of age. Reign The government was carried on by Darya Khán and Imád-ul-Mulk as his regents. Darya Khán resolved to overthrow Imád-ul-Mulk and acquire supreme power. With this object he obtained an order from the king, whom, on the pretence of a hunting expedition, he removed from Ahmedabad, directing Imád-ul-Mulk to retire to his estates in Jhalawad. Six months later, taking the Sultán with him, Darya Khán led an army into Jhalawad, and defeating Imád-ul-Mulk in a battle at Patdi, fifty two miles west of Áhmedábád, pursued him to Burhanpur, and there defeated Imád-ul-Mulk's ally the ruler of Khandesh and forced Imád-ul-Mulk to flee to Malwa Sultanate. After this success Darya Khán became absorbed in pleasure, and resigned the management of the kingdom to Álam Khán Lodhi. The king, dissembling his dissatisfaction at the way he was treated, pretended to take no interest in affairs of state. Álam Khán Lodhi, seeing the carelessness of Darya Khán, began to entertain ambitions, and retiring to his estate of Dhandhuka, invited the king to join him. The king, Mahmúd Sháh, believing him to be in earnest, contrived to escape from surveillance and joined Álam Khán. On discovering the king's flight, Darya Khán raised to the throne a descendant of Áhmed Sháh by the title of Muzaffar Sháh, and striking coin in his name set out with an army towards Dhandhúka. Álam Khán and the king met him at Dhúr in Dholka, and a battle was fought in which Mahmúd and Álam Khán were defeated.