Syud Mansur Ali Khan, known as Janab-e-Ali and Feradun Jah, succeeded his father Humayun Jah. He was only eight years old when he ascended the Masnad on the day of the Idul Fitr on 29^th October 1838 AD. He received the imperial title of "Muntizam-ul-Mulk, Mohsen-ud-Daulla, Feradun Jah, Nasrut Jang (Ruler of the Country, Benefactor of the State, of high rank, Helper in War)". He was the last Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, upon his abdication he received the lesser title of Nawab Bahadur and was denied the use of the qualification of His Highness.

When the Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah died in 1838, his only son, then a minor, became, as noted, his successor at Murshidabad. Mr. W. H. Elliott, appointed Agent to the Governor General in December, 1838, relinquished charge of the Nizamat affairs in February, 1839, and the care of the boy Nawab passed into the hands of Colonel Caulfield. During the period from January, 1840, to December, 1846, there were many changes, three Agents being appointed and relieved. The affairs of the family must have become somewhat disordered by all these changes, and the lot of Mr. Torrens, appointed Agent to the Governor General, December 17^th, 1846, was, no doubt, not a happy one. The young Nawab Nazim could not take any part in the management of his affairs, and there is no doubt that he was surroundecj by many intriguers, whose only idea was that of self-interest. Mr. Torrens was absent from April to December, 1851; in 1852, on August 15^th, he died. When the Nawab Nazim came of age and began to inquire into matters, he found that confusion reigned in all departments. Money could not be accounted for, and there was a want of friendly co-operation between the native officials and the European Agent, and his officers. The Government had found it necessary to appropriate certain so-called "Nizamat funds", and had made new arrangements with regard to the Nawab's stipend. It is not unnatural that the Nawab should want explanations, and he resented what, for want of full information, he regarded as acts of injustice. The Nawab began to take an active interest in matters, and finding much to complain of, made certain inquiries during the year 1852. Of the sixteen lakhs assigned to him by The East India Company, His personal allotment was Seven and a half lakhs only. From the remainder provision was to be made for the other members of the family and any unexpected balance was transferred to the Nizamat Deposit Fund, which latterly became the subject of great controversy.

Feradun Jah founded the Nizamat School and the Nizamat College, also known as the Nawabs high School and the Nawabs Madrassa respectively. The Nawab Bahadur Institute or the Nawabs high School was set up in 1825 AD exclusively for the sons and Akrobas of the Nawab. He also built the Imambara infront of the Hazarduari Palace at a cost of more than 6 lakhs during those time, after the Imambara built by Siraj-ud-Daulla had been destroyed by fire. In 1853 AD it was declared that the Nawab Nazim had no treaty rights. This was followed in 1854 AD by the abolishment of all the former privileges of the Nazim. The Nawabs salute of nineteen guns was reduced to thirteen for alleged complicity in the murder of two menials on 11^th October 1854 in the Nawabs shooting camp. His attendants chief Aman Ali Khan the principal eunuch, was prosecuted for murder. All the eunuchs were acquitted by the Supreme Court and later they were received back in the Nawab's service. But the Government ordered their peremptory dismissal.

In the same year the four Regulations and Acts of 1799, 1805, 1806 and 1822, securing to him certain privileges were repealed and the Nazims right of control over the Nizamat Deposit fund was denied. After the great Indian mutiny, in which Feradun Jah had rendered material assistance the salute was restored. In 1860 Feradun Jah memorialized the Secretary of State for India in Council about his numerous grievances. Receiving no redress the Nawab Nazim went to England in 1869 AD, against the advice of his Dewan, Raja Prosanno Narayan Deb (রাজা প্রসন্ন নারায়ন দেব), accompanied by his private secretary and chief counsellor, Mr W.D. Fox, to prefer his complaint in person to Her Majesty's Government. His grievances were ventilated in Parliament but with little success.

Meanwhile the Nizamat at Murshidabad became involved in heavy debts and several claims were made against the Nawab Nazim and attachments were issued against his property. The Government of India thereupon moved into action by a desire of freezing the Nawab and his property from suits and attachment and of discharging such portions of the claims. With the further object of exempting him from the jurisdiction of the Civil Courts The Government of India passed an Act (XVII of 1873 AD) in 1873 AD and appointed there under a commission for the purpose of carrying out the objects of the enactment. On the 13^th December 1875, the commissioners one of whom was Beaufort, formerly Judge of Murshidabad, submitted their declaration with regard to Nizamat State Property, that is property held by the Government of India for the purpose of upholding the dignity of the Nawab Nazim for the time being. In April 1876 AD, the Nizamat Commissioners completed and made their awards with respect to the pecuniary claims of the several creditors.

The title of Nawab of Bengal was abolished in 1880. While in England, Feradun Jah entered into a contract with the secretary of state, agreeing to receive ten lakhs of rupees, which was to be paid out of his arrears of pension, in full satisfaction of his personal claims of whatsoever. Feradun Jah expressed a desire to retire from the Nizamat and personal stipend of 10,000 pounds sterling per annum was granted to him, with option to reside wherever he pleased.

He left Murshidabad for England in February 1869 and remained there until his return to Bombay in October 1881. His journey was not altogether one of pleasure, and much of his time was spent pleading his case against certain orders of the Government of India. He Renounced his hereditary styles and titles of Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, and abdicated in favour of his eldest son, at St Ives, Maidenhead, 1^st November 1880. Prone to pleasure and extravagance, he had fallen deeply into debt and was obliged to dispose of much of his family jewels, property and patrimony in return for a life pension of £10,000 p.a., a personal stipend of £83,000 and expenses of £25,000. Lately Feradun Jah came to Murshidabad where he died of colera at the Palace on the 5^th of November 1884 AD. He was burried at the family cemetery at Jaffarganj, with strange coincidence in the only available space left in the line of the tombs of the Nazims, and were subsequently removed for interment at Karbala (also spelled Kerbala or Kerbela) in Iraq, in pursuance of his will.
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Family Tree :: Najafi Dynasty

Feradun jah Married (first) at Murshidabad in 1846, H.H. Firdaus Mahal, Nawab Shams-i-Jahan Begum Sahiba (Gaddinashin Begum, She died at Calcutta on 21^st April 1905), née Mehar-un-nisa Begum Sahiba. Married (second) Nawab Malika-uz-Zamani Begum Sahiba [Hajjiya Begum] (She died at Murshidabad on November 1884). Married (third) Guiti Afroz Mahal, Nawab Mehr Lekha Begum Sahiba (She died at Murshidabad on 30^th May 1855; burried at Jafarganj), previously a Mut'ah wife as Hasina Khanum, a former Abyssinian slave-girl. Married (fourth) Nawab Shah-un-nisa Begum Sahiba (She died at Murshidabad on 16^th January 1892, burried at Jafarganj), previously a Mut'ah wife as Shah-un-nisa Khanum. Married (fifth) Nawab Shams-un-nisa Begum Sahiba (She died before 1865), previously a Mut'ah wife as Shams-un-nisa Khanum. Married (sixth) at the Alexandra Hotel, St. George's Place, London, 15^th May 1870, Nawab Sarah Begum Sahiba [Sarah Vennell] (She was born in 1853; died at London on 1^st September 1925, daughter of Josiah Godfrey Vennell, of New Barnet, Middlesex). Married (i) Faiz-un-nisa Khanum, (ii) Mubaraq Khadam, previously Bi Moti, (iii) Badr-un-nisa Khanum, (iv) Zeb-un-nisa Khanum, (v) Najam-un-nisa Khanum, (vi) at London Mut'ah Muhammadi Begum, née Julia Lewis, daughter of Thomas Lewis (She died at Patcham, Sussex, 20th December 1948). Married (a) Bi Nargis, (b) Bi Umda [Bi Kumari], (c) Bi Nur Bakhsh [Allah Rukhi], (d) Bi Hira, (e) Bi Kaiser, (f) Bi Hayat-un-nisa [Haitun], (g) Bi Lutf-un-nisa [Lutfan], (h) Bi Rungli, (i) Bi Shambar-un-nisa [Shambaran], (j) Bi Amir-un-nisa [Amirun], (k) Jahanara, (l) Bi Mohin, (m) Bi Nazlu, (n) Bi Sajjan, (o) Bi Azim-un-nisa, (p) Bi Jan, (q) Bi Madhu, (r) Bi Rahat Afza.

Of his one hundred and one children by more than twenty wives He was survived by nineteen sons and twenty two daughters.