A king by agreement, unmade by a pedigree
“Most of the Abyssinians espoused the cause of Chand Beeby, aunt to the late king, and proposed that the King’s only son Bahadur, an infant in arms, should be proclaimed under her regency. Meean Munjoo, deprecating this plan, it was agreed that Ahmud, said to be descended from the Nizam Shahies, then at Dowlutabad, should be placed on the throne.” He “was crowned on the 10th of Zeehuj, A. H. 1003, and the Khootba read in the name of the twelve Imams.”
“Shortly afterwards it was discovered that Ahmud Shah was not of the Nizam Shahy family and that his pretensions to the crown were unfounded.” Ibrahim Adil Shah II, “having satisfactorily ascertained that Ahmud was not a lineal descendant of the Nizam Shahy family gave him a handsome estate for life”. Ferishta’s chapter on him is titled not by his regnal name but “Ahmud, the son of Shah Tahir”.