A novel bidentate Schiff base ligand L (L = N-(4-amino-2-chloro-phenyl)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde) and the subsequent octahedral manganese(III) Schiff base complex MnL3 have been synthesized and characterized by, FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analyses (CHN). Additionally, Schiff base ligand has been characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis of the ligand and its metal complexes reveals their thermal stability and decomposition pattern. Thus, the MnL3 complex has been investigated as a novel precursor for the facile preparation of Mn3O4 nanoparticles via solid-state thermal decomposition under aerobic conditions, at a temperature of ca. 450 °C The resulting Mn3O4 nanocrystals were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRPD studies reveal the characteristic diffraction peaks indexed to the Mn3O4 hausmanite structure, while the absence of additional peaks tends to clearly indicate the high purity of the sample. In addition, the TEM/SEM investigations displayed the nanoplate shape of the rather monodisperse crystalline Mn3O4 nanoparticles, with an average diameter of ca. 10 nm. The statistical distribution of the nanoparticles size has to be provided with an histogram graphic.