Ghiyas-ud-Din Ahmad Shah III, born Ahmad Khan was a sultan of the Muzaffarid dynasty who nominally reigned over the Gujarat Sultanate, a late medieval kingdom in India from 1554 to 1561 though true powers were exerted by his nobles who had divided the kingdom between themselves. He was assassinated by one of his nobles. Background In 1554 Burhán, a servant of the king Mahmud Shah III gave his master an intoxicating drug, and when he was overcome with sleep stabbed him to death. Then summoning the principal nobles in the king's name, he put to death Ásaf Khán the prime minister and twelve others, and endeavoured to have himself accepted as Sultán. No one aided him; even his accomplices deserted him. Imád-ul-Mulk Rúmi, Ulugh Khán, and others joined to oppose him, and when marching against them he was cut down by Shirwán Khán. He died at the age of twenty-eight after a reign of eighteen years. Reign On the death of Burhán, the nobles elected as sovereign a descendant of the stock of Ahmed Shah of the name of Áhmed Khán, and proclaimed him king by the title of Áhmad Sháh III. At the same time they agreed that, as the king was young, Ítimád Khán should carry on the government and they further divided the country among themselves, each one undertaking to protect the frontiers and preserve the public peace. Mubárak Sháh of Khándesh, considering this a good opportunity, preferred a claim to the crown and marched to the frontier. An army led by the chief Gujarát nobles and accompanied by the young king met the invaders at the village of Ránpur Kotriá in Bharuch, the Gujarát army encamping on the north bank and the Khandesh army on the south bank of the Narmada river. Násir-ul-Mulk, one of the Gujarát nobles, taking certain of his friends into his confidence, determined to remain neutral till the battle was over and then to fall on the exhausted troops and possess himself of both kingdoms. Sayad Mubárak, a descendant of the saint Sháh-i-Álam, who led the van of the Gujarát army, becoming aware of Násir-ul-Mulk's design opened communications with Mubárak Sháh of Khándesh and induced him to withdraw. Násir-ul-Mulk, who still aspired to supreme power, gaining several nobles to his side near Baroda (now Vadodara), surprised and defeated the forces of Ítimád Khán and Sayad Mubárak. The Sayad withdrew to his estate