Shortly after Shaykh Uways Jalayir succeeded his father, the old enemy of the Jalayirids, the Chobanids, were overrun by the forces of the Golden Horde under Jani Beg in 1357.

Shaykh Uways Jalayir, who at first had recognized the sovereignty of the Blue Horde, decided to take the former Chobanid lands for himself, even as a former amir of Malek Asraf's named Akhi Juq attempted to keep the region in Mongol hands.

Shah Mahmud received support around 1363 in his conquest of Shiraz and later his son married one of Shaykh Uways Jalayir's daughters in 1369/70.

In 1364, Shaykh Uways Jalayir campaigned against the Shirvanshah Kavus, but a revolt begun by the governor of Baghdad, Khwaja Murjan, forced him to return to reassert his authority.

[6] Due to his campaigns, Shaykh Uways Jalayir spent much time in Iran, and he died in Tabriz on 10 October 1374;[8] Baghdad, however, remained his capital.

In addition to his military adventures, which were considerable, he was known for his attempts to revive commercial enterprise, which had suffered heavily in the past years, in the region, as well as his patronage to the arts.

His chronicler, Abu Bakr al-Qutbi al Ahri, wrote of Shaykh Uways Jalayir’ deeds in the Tarikh-i Shaikh Uvais.