Muhammad Sultan Mirza was born in 1375, the elder son of Jahangir Mirza and the only child of his mother, the Sufi princess Khanzada Begum. His father, Timur's favorite son and original heir, died within a few months of Muhammad Sultan's birth, leaving the infant as the sole surviving son of that union. His mother, a maternal granddaughter of Jani Beg, Khan of the Golden Horde, was subsequently remarried to Jahangir's younger brother Miran Shah. This early loss of his father set the stage for a life defined by the shadow of his grandfather, Timur, the Central Asian conqueror who would come to view the boy not merely as a grandson, but as a manifest prodigy in his noble nature and vigour, according to the historian Arabshah. The young prince's lineage was exceptional; his father Jahangir was the only one of Timur's four sons born of a free wife, a distinction that elevated Muhammad Sultan's status above his cousins and positioned him uniquely for succession.
Commander at Ten
In 1386, when Muhammad Sultan was only ten years old, Timur captured Tabriz, the capital of the Jalairid Sultanate, and appointed the boy as governor of the city. This appointment marked the beginning of a military career that would see him lead armies across Central Asia and the Middle East. Five years later, he accompanied his grandfather on an invasion of the territory of Tokhtamysh, Khan of the Golden Horde. Initially part of the scouting parties which preceded the army, Timur later gave him command of the army centre, a position he held during the ensuing Battle of the Kondurcha River in June 1391. By 1393, he took part in the campaign against the Muzaffarids of Fars, where he and his younger half-brother Pir Muhammad were sent through Kurdistan, capturing various provinces before rejoining the main army. The battle outside Shiraz saw Timur entrust his left flank to Muhammad Sultan, while the right flank went to Pir Muhammad and the centre to their uncle Shah Rukh. The resulting victory led to the death of Shah Mansur and the incorporation of his lands into the empire.The Eastern Frontier
Sometime prior to his Indian invasion, Timur had Muhammad Sultan appointed as his heir apparent. When Delhi was conquered in December 1398, Timur had the khutba read there, with the prince's name being said alongside his own. Coins were also struck with Muhammad Sultan's name and title Vali al-lakhd, meaning throne-heir, following that of Timur and the puppet-Chagatai Khan. The emperor's choice in successor was mainly based on birth, rather than position or accomplishment; in addition to the prince's own exalted maternal lineage, his father Jahangir, alone of Timur's four sons, was born of a free wife as opposed to a concubine. In 1399, he was named governor of Turan, followed two years later by an appointment over the lands of the former Mongol Ilkhanate, which Timur termed the throne of Hulagu. These lands had previously been governed by Muhammad Sultan's disgraced uncle and stepfather Miran Shah. The prince's influence grew so significant that he supposedly pushed Timur to pursue his campaign against the Delhi Sultanate in 1398, with the Malfuzat-i Timuri, an alleged autobiography of the emperor, ascribing a speech to Muhammad Sultan that urged the invasion.
In 1402, Timur began military engagements in anticipation for his campaign against the Ottoman Sultan, Bayezid I. This was initiated by Muhammad Sultan, recently summoned from