Ahmed Khan bin Küchük

In the 1460s, Ahmed was a co-ruler with his brothers. In 1465, Ahmed Khan seized power in the Horde by rising against his brother Mahmud bin Küchük, who had been its ruler since 1459. Ahmed Khan attempted to subdue the former subjects of the Golden Horde, including the Russians and Uzbeks, with his goal being to once again unite the realm. He sought an alliance with the Polish and Lithuanian ruler Casimir IV so that he could launch a campaign against the Ottomans, but after Casimir IV refused to ally with him, Ahmed Khan was forced to negotiate with the Ottoman ruler, Mehmet II. His nephew won the throne of Crimea in 1476, but in less than two years, the throne was lost to Meñli I Giray, who allied with the Ottomans. Due to Ivan III's refusal to pay tribute since the start of his reign in 1462, Ahmed Khan launched several expeditions to Russia in an attempt to force the grand prince of Moscow to recognize his suzerainty. Ivan III also began the process of unifying the Russian principalities, which would strengthen Moscow's position against the Horde and Lithuania. In 1479, Ahmed Khan sent his tax collectors to Moscow, but Ivan III again refused to pay. As a result, Ahmed Khan began preparing for a military confrontation and coordinated his campaign with the Polish–Lithuanian ruler.

Ahmed Khan's wife was the Timurid princess Badi' al-Jamal, a sister of Sultan Husayn Bayqara of Khorasan. Through this marriage he had two sons, Mahmud Khan and Bahadur Khan, as well as a daughter, Khanzada Khanum. However, Badi' al-Jamal eventually left the Horde and returned with her children to her brother's court in Herat.