He was the son of Nasiruddin Mahmud (died 1229), who was the eldest son of Shams ud din Iltutmish (1211-1236). He was named after his father, by Shams ud din Iltutmish, for he had grown an intense filial attachment, to the only begot son of his posthumous child.
He succeeded Ala ud din Masud after the chiefs replaced Masud when they felt that he began to behave as a tyrant. As a ruler, Mahmud was known to be very religious, spending most of his time in prayer and copying the Koran. However, it was actually his father-in-law and Deputy Sultan or Naib, Ghiyas ud din Balban, who primarily dealt with the state affairs
After Mahmud"s death in 1266, Balban (1266-1287) rose to power as Mahmud had no children to be his heir.
