[11][12] He was the son of Uways Quli Beg, of the Qara Qoyunlu dynasty, and Maryam Khanum, a daughter of the Hamadan noble Malik Saleh.

[15] He migrated to Delhi with some of his relatives and friends, including his uncle Allah Quli Beg, in the beginning of the 16th century.

The inscription on his grave itself names him as Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk: انتقل صاحب هذه الروضة الرضية وهو الملك المغفورالسعيد الشهيد الغازي لوجه الله والمجاهد في سبيل الله الملك سلطان قليالمخاطب به قطب الملك المشهور به بر ملك انار الله برهانه الى جوار رحمه الله في يوم الاثنين ثاني شهر جمادى الثانية سنة ٩٥٠Many historians have misattributed the word 'Sultan' in his name but his whole name just meant 'Servant of the Sultan' just like his Uncle Allah Quli which meant 'Servant of Allah'.

Sultan Quli extended his rule by capturing forts at Warangal, Kondapalli, Eluru, and Rajamundry,[citation needed] while Krishnadevaraya was fighting the ruler of Odisha.

He forced Jeypore's ruler Vishwanath Dev Gajapati to surrender all the territories between the mouths of Krishna and Godavari rivers.