Mandalorian manacles were a type of binders created by members of the Mandalorian culture, who used nearly impervious beskar iron in their construction. The incredible strength afforded to the manacles by the iron ore allowed Mandalorian manacles to compete with the advent of newer binder technology for generations.
A popular export from the planet Mandalore in the centuries prior to the creation of force shackles, Mandalorian manacles were used by Mandalorians and foreigners alike. They became standard equipment for Mandalorian police units, and beskar-made manacles were also favored by criminals and enemies of Force-users like the Knights of the Jedi Order. Bogga the Hutt equipped his henchmen with manacles to hold Jedi captive, manacles used to bind Jedi Master Thon during a skirmish on Ambria; Thon was later freed when his student Nomi Sunrider cut the chains with her lightsaber. Millennia later, following the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Imperial government requisitioned beskar equipment including Mandalorian manacles from the MandalMotors company. Mere decades after, when Jedi Knight Jaina Solo came to the Mandalorians seeking aid in capturing her Sith Lord brother, Darth Caedus, Mandalorian manacles were recommended for his incarceration.
Mandalorian manacles were forged from beskar iron, a nearly indestructable and rare ore found only on the planet Mandalore—the Mandalorians' cultural homeworld, located in the Outer Rim Territories of the galaxy—and Mandalore's moon, Concordia. Crafted by Mandalorian metalsmiths, beskar-made manacles were a type of binders designed for restraining captives' wrists and ankles.
Created by the time of the ancient Mandalorian Crusaders, as knowledge of their imperious beskar composition spread in the centuries prior to the creation of force shackles and energy cuffs, Mandalorian manacles were a popular export from the planet Mandalore. A set of Mandalorian manacles came into the ownership of the Hutt crime lord Bogga, who outfitted his henchman Gudb with the manacles in order to incapacitate the Jedi Master Thon. Shortly after being captured and bound with the manacles, Thon was freed by his student, Nomi Sunrider, who cut through the chains with her lightsaber.
Even as more advanced binder technology developed in the galaxy, the strength of Mandalorian manacles allowed them to remain a competitor in the field. Beskar manacles established themselves as part of the standard equipment available to Mandalorian police units, and they became known for their ability to imprison Force-users. Following the rise of the Galactic Empire, Imperial forces contacted the MandalMotors company in Mandalore's capital city of Keldabe, seeking to contract specialist equipment made of beskar, with a shipment of Mandalorian manacles among the items the Empire requested. Decades later, in 41 ABY, the veteran Mandalorian soldier Goran Beviin recommended Mandalorian manacles to the Jedi Knight Jaina Solo, who had come to Mandalore looking for assistance in capturing her recently-turned Sith Lord brother, Jacen Solo.
Mandalorian manacles were first introduced to the Star Wars universe in the fifth issue of the Tales of the Jedi comic series, part three of The Saga of Nomi Sunrider. They were mentioned again in the Tales of the Jedi audio drama, and were featured in Abel G. Peña's Star Wars Insider article The History of the Mandalorians, published in the magazine's eightieth issue in March of 2005. In 2008, Mandalorian manacles were mentioned in the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force novel Revelation by author Karen Traviss. The following year, Traviss added another mention of the manacles in her Republic Commando novel Imperial Commando: 501st, published October 27, 2009.