Born on 24 March 1756, Mahmud Shah III is the younger son of the 13th Sultan of Johor, Abdul Jalil Muazzam Shah by his second wife, Tengku Puteh binti Daeng Chelak.[citation needed] To maintain their de facto control of Johor Empire, the Bugis continued to install puppet rulers on the throne, including the infant grandson of Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah, Mahmud Shah III,[1] who succeeded on the death of his elder brother, Ahmad Riayat Shah in 1770.[citation needed]