Sultan Muhammad-Qutb Shah, son of Mirza Muhammad Amin and nephew of Muhammad Quli, became the Sultan of Golconda in November, 1612 C.E. He married Hayat Baksh Begum, the daughter of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. He ruled for fourteen years. Muhammad Qutb Shah’s mother was Khanam Agha. She belonged to the family of Imam Musakhajim, the head of the Shia sect.

Malik Ambar continued his valiant fight against Jahangir’s forces. The Sultans of Bijapur and Golconda signed a treaty with the Mughals, agreeing to pay peshkash. They loaded the Mughal envoy with priceless presents. Thus, left alone, the slave general of Ahmadnagar had no alternative but to withdraw from Ahmadnagar after occupying it for 10 years. Ahmadnagar signed a treaty, according to which he had to pay a tribute of twelve lakhs; Bijapur had to pay eighteen and Golconda twenty lakhs.

The court intrigues at Delhi, followed by the revolt of Shah Jahan against his father, saved the Deccan. Shah Jahan took refuge at Daulatabad, negotiating for Deccan Sultan’s help. The king of Golconda, while pretending neutrality, helped Shah Jahan with cash and cereals.

Sultan Mohammad encouraged the Dutch and the English to establish their trade centres on the east coast and strengthen them by fortifications. The Dutch had their factories at Machilipatanam, Nizampatanam, Pulicat, and Nagapatnam. These centres were intended to organise the production, purchase, and sale of a large variety of textiles, spices, and miscellaneous articles saleable abroad, especially in South East Asia, Middle East, and Europe.

Sultan Muhammad Quli died in January 1626 A.D. Malik Ambar died four months after, and Jahangir one and a half years later. With the death of these three, a new chapter was opened in the history of the Deccan. Conditions became more favourable than ever for the Mughal rulers to subjugate the three Sultanates of the Deccan—Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, and Golconda.