The founder of the dynasty was Zafar Khan (later Muzaffar Shah I) who was governor of Gujarat under the Delhi Sultanate.
[1] The dynasty ruled for almost 200 years, until the conquest of Gujarat by the Mughal Empire in 1572.
[3] Zafar Khan's father Shaharan, has been variously described as a Chaudhary[4] who was an agriculturist by profession, a Rajput[5][6] from Thanesar in modern-day Haryana,[7] a Tānk Khatri[8] from southern Punjab,[9] or even a Jat convert to Islam.
Wajih-ul-Mulk and his brother were influential Chaudharis who were agriculturists by profession but could also muster thousands of fighting men on their call.
[15] His Hindu forebears claimed descent from Rāmachandra, who the Hindus worshipped as God.