Mand'alor, also known as Mandalore in Galactic Basic Standard, signified the supreme commander of the Mandalorian people. Within their warrior clan structure, the Protectors maintained a system of checks and balances. Sometime before the Clone Wars, a Mand'alor called Mandalore the Great initiated a series of wars against the Jedi Order. Tarre Vizsla, a Mandalorian Jedi, once held dominion over Mandalore. Pre Vizsla, one of his descendants and the leader of the Mandalorian splinter faction Death Watch, seized the Mand'alor title during his overthrow of Mandalore, the Mandalorian home planet; however, after Vizsla's death in a duel against Maul, the title was transferred to him.
During the Imperial Era under the Galactic Empire, [Gar Saxon](/article/gar_saxon], a former Mandalorian super commando, aspired to become Mand'alor and govern the Mandalorians. Fenn Rau, the leader of the Protectors, asserted that Saxon lacked the necessary honor, preventing him from claiming the title. Nevertheless, Emperor Palpatine appointed him as Viceroy of Mandalore. Following Gar Saxon's demise, his brother, Governor Tiber Saxon, inherited his position and sought to control all of Mandalore, but he met his end before realizing his ambition after Sabine Wren came back to Mandalore with her clan and the Darksaber to liberate her father.
After Saxon's passing, Sabine entrusted the Darksaber to Lady Bo-Katan Kryze. Kryze accepted it from Wren and, backed by clans Wren, Vizsla, Rook, Eldar, her own Clan Kryze, and the Protectors, represented by Rau, assumed the role of Mand'alor to unite the Mandalorian people against the Empire.
During the Clone Wars, Pre Vizsla, the Governor of Concordia and a descendant of Tarre Vizsla, rose to power as the leader of the terrorist organization Death Watch. Despite the political dominance of the New Mandalorians, Vizsla believed he was upholding the Mand'alor's legacy. In 19 BBY, Vizsla and his Death Watch forces, aided by former Sith Lord Maul and his Shadow Collective, successfully wrested control of Mandalore from Duchess Satine Kryze and her New Mandalorian government. The Mandalorian people, facing the threat of the Shadow Collective's attacks, embraced Vizsla's leadership.
However, Maul challenged Vizsla for control of Death Watch, bringing his rule to a swift conclusion. After Maul beheaded Vizsla in their duel, Vizsla was defeated. Maul then seized the Darksaber, leadership of Death Watch, and control of Mandalore. Nevertheless, due to his status as an outsider, several Death Watch members under Bo-Katan Kryze declined to follow Maul. Maul's brief reign ended when his former master, Darth Sidious, captured him, and control of Mandalore reverted to Prime Minister Almec until Maul's escape and subsequent return.
During the Siege of Mandalore, the Jedi designated Bo-Katan as Lady of House Kryze and Mandalore's Regent. Many considered her the rightful ruler of Mandalore.
Following the Republic's transformation into the Galactic Empire, Bo-Katan's refusal to comply with the Empire's demands led to her removal from power. Gar Saxon of Clan Saxon sought to claim the title for himself, but the Mandalorian Protectors deemed him unworthy due to his lack of honor, preventing him from assuming the title. Emperor Palpatine appointed Saxon as Viceroy of Mandalore instead.
After Clan Wren killed Saxon, Fenn Rau tried to persuade Sabine Wren to become Mand'alor, but Wren declined and pledged to find a suitable candidate. Tiber Saxon, Viceroy Saxon's brother, succeeded him as Viceroy and attempted to seize control of all of Mandalore using an Arc Pulse Generator. However, Wren destroyed the weapon and mobilized her people against the Empire, leading to his death before he could achieve his goal.
Wren believed Kryze should reassume her position as Mand'alor, and Kryze accepted the offer after the Protectors and other Mandalorian clans pledged their allegiance to her. Despite Kryze's assumption of the Mand'alor title, the Empire initiated a purge against the Mandalorian people. During the purge, Kryze lost her claim to the title when ISB officer Gideon seized the Darksaber.
Despite the Great Purge, Kryze and several followers initiated raids on Imperial Gozanti-class cruisers belonging to Gideon's Imperial remnant on Trask in 9 ABY. Upon reclaiming her title, she would lead the united Mandalorian people—the Children of the Watch and the unorthodox Mandalorians, together—as one in the reconquest of Mandalore.
Mandalore the Great, a legendary ancient Mandalorian ruler, is said to have led his people in the Mandalorian-Jedi War. Although the Jedi had become mythical by the time of the New Republic, Mandalore's war against them remained immortalized in old Mandalorian songs.
Tarre Vizsla holds the distinction of being the first Mandalorian inducted into the Jedi Order of the Old Republic. During his tenure as a Jedi, Vizsla crafted the Darksaber, regarded as a unique lightsaber. Vizsla eventually ascended to the position of Mand'alor. After his death, Mandalore honored Vizsla with a statue. His darksaber was stored at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. However, members of House Vizsla stole it. It was then used by members of House and Clan Vizsla to unite the people and strike down their enemies.
Pre Vizsla led the Mandalorian terrorist faction known as Death Watch. Following the Mandalore's Civil War, Vizsla became the leader of Death Watch and sought to overthrow the New Mandalorians' leadership to restore Mandalore's warrior heritage, viewing Duchess Satine as a disgrace to the Mandalorian people.
As Governor of Concordia, Vizsla feigned support for the Duchess and her government by supposedly hunting down Death Watch members. Secretly, Vizsla led the Death Watch and utilized Concordia's mines to produce Mandalorian armor and weapons to seize control of Mandalore. When the Clone Wars erupted, Vizsla allied Death Watch with Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems to depose Duchess Satine. As part of their alliance, Death Watch launched an attack on a Republic cruiser.
However, this attack drew the attention of the Jedi Council, who dispatched Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to investigate. The Duchess and Prime Minister Almec denied any Mandalorian involvement until Kenobi presented footage of a Death Watch saboteur attacking a Republic cruiser. Satine then confirmed the rumors of Death Watch's existence. A member of Death Watch carried out a bombing on the Memorial Shrine in Sundari. The bomber left behind a holographic statement against the New Mandalorian government that displayed the sign of Death Watch, a shriek-hawk. Vizsla then spoke with Dooku, concerned about the Jedi's and Republic's intentions towards Mandalore. Dooku assured Vizsla that when the Republic sends peace-keeping troops to Mandalore, the people would rebel, and join Death Watch to which Vizsla agreed. However, Kenobi discovered that the mines were still operational and was briefly captured.
Vizsla then revealed himself as Death Watch's leader when he confronted Kenobi and the Duchess. Vizsla gave Kenobi his lightsaber and fought Kenobi with Tarre Vizsla's Darksaber that had been stolen from the Jedi temple during the fall of the Old Republic. Despite his skills, Vizsla was unable to defeat Kenobi and had his men use their jetpack missiles to finish Kenobi. However, the missiles failed to kill Kenobi and Kryze as they escaped.
Vizsla eventually severed his alliance with the Separatists after the Republic abandoned its plans to occupy Mandalore. Vizsla fought Dooku, but abandoned the duel after he received a scar from Dooku. Vizsla and Death Watch were forced into hiding out on Carlac. There, he and the Death Watch forced the Ming Po women to serve them. After an encounter with Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano and former Separatist Senator Lux Bonteri, Vizsla and the Death Watch were forced to abandon their camp and establish a new one on Zanbar. On a patrol near Zanbar, Vizsla and Bo-Katan found two Zabraks; Maul and his brother, Savage Opress. With the Zabraks as his allies, Vizsla saw his chance overthrow Satine and take control of Mandalore by forming the Shadow Collective. As they gathered forces from criminal cartels such as the Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, and the Hutt Clan, Vizsla planned to eliminate Maul after they take control of Mandalore. With the Shadow Collective's help, the New Mandalorians and their guards suffered attacks in Sundari and were unable to stop them. Death Watch and Vizsla then moved in to fight the criminals, appearing as heroes to the people. After imprisoning Satine, Vizsla claimed the title of Mand'alor for himself. He then had Maul and his brother imprisoned.
Vizsla's reign as Mand'alor was cut short when Maul and his brother broke out of prison with the former prime minister Almec. In the Sundari Royal Palace's throne room, Maul challenged Vizsla for leadership, which Vizsla accepted and handed Maul his lightsaber. At first, Vizsla had the upper hand in his duel with Maul by using his jetpack and blasters. However, Maul was able to defeat Vizsla. Vizsla, accepting his defeat, was beheaded by Maul in front of Death Watch. Despite Maul claiming leadership over Death Watch, Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls refused to follow an outsider and made their escape. Despite their objection plunging Mandalore into a new civil war, Maul maintained his status as the rightful ruler of Mandalore until the Siege of Mandalore at the end of the Clone Wars.
During the Clone Wars, Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls served as members of Death Watch. Kryze served as Vizsla's second-in-command when Death Watch established a camp on Carlac. As a Death Watch member, she participated in Vizsla and Death Watch's attacks on the Ming Po and their town and pursing former Separatist senator Lux Bonteri and Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano. During a patrol near Zanbar, Kryze and Vizsla came across two Zabraks; Maul and his brother Savage Opress. Kryze believed that the Zabraks should be killed, but Vizsla told her to keep them alive. As Vizsla and Maul formed the Shadow Collective to take Mandalore, Vizsla told Kryze that they would eliminate Maul after they take control of Mandalore.
Death Watch was successful in taking control of Mandalore away from Kryze's sister, Satine. Kyrze and Death Watch imprisoned Maul, during which Kyrze clubbed Maul with her blaster. However, Maul, his brother Savage, and Almec escaped and challenged Vizsla for leadership of Death Watch. Kryze handed Maul his lightsaber and watched as Vizsla fought Maul. When Maul defeated and beheaded Vizsla, Kryze and her Nite Owls refused to follow Maul. She and her followers made their escape. Kryze, her Night Owls, her nephew Korkie Kryze and his friends worked to together to free Satine from the Royal prison.
At first Kryze, Satine, and Korkie were able to make their escape and contact Master Kenobi. However, Kryze and her forces were forced to retreat with out her sister. She then spotted Master Kenobi disguise as one of Maul's super commandos on his way to rescue her sister. Following her sister's death, Kryze and her followers rescued Kenobi before he could taken to the Royal prison. She helped Kenobi escape to a Kom'rk-class fighter/transport and told him to inform the Galactic Senate about what has transpired Mandalore. Despite the oncoming occupation by the Republic, Kryze knew that it would mean the death of Maul and Mandalore's survival.
During the subsequent civil war and the siege, Kryze was named Lady of House Kryze and Regent of Mandalore by the Jedi. However, the Republic was reorganized into the Galactic Empire, and Kryze was forced out of power by Clan Saxon. However, in 2 BBY, Kryze chose to ally her House with Clan Wren when they chose to resist the Empire. However, when Sabine Wren gave her the Darksaber, Kryze refused due to her failing as Regent. With Clan Wren, she was able to free Sabine's father Alrich Wren. Unfortunately, Kryze learned that Empire under Governor Tiber Saxon had rebuilt the Arc Pulse Generator that Sabine had designed and codenamed the "Duchess" after her sister. Despite wanting to punish Wren for creating the Weapon, Kryze knew that they needed her help to destroy it. Thus, Kryze, Sabine, and their allies boarded Saxon's Star Destroyer. Despite being briefly captured by Saxon and Captain Hark who wanted Wren to improve the "Duchess." Fortunately, Wren was able to make the "Duchess" target stormtrooper armor. Despite this development, Kryze convinced Wren to destroy instead of using it against the Empire.
After the destruction of the "Duchess" and Saxon's star destroyer, Kryze regrouped with her forces. With support from the Protector Fenn Rau and the other clans, Kryze accepted the title Mand'alor and the Darksaber in honor of her people and her sister. As she had chosen to take the blade as a gift, instead of winning it in combat, the Children of the Watch religious sect decried her as unworthy to lead Mandalore. Her reign was short-lived when the Empire enacted the Great Purge of Mandalore against the Mandalorians. Despite surviving the purge, Kryze lost the darksaber to ISB officer Gideon. However, Kryze began rebuilding her forces. With two of her followers, Axe Woves and Koska Reeves, she began raiding Imperial weapon shipments from Trask as a way to find Gideon. With bounty hunter Din Djarin's help, Kryze was able to take a Gozanti-class cruiser and was able to find Gideon's light cruiser. Despite capturing the cruiser, Kryze refused to accept the Darksaber from Djarin, despite him yielding the weapon, in accordance to the Mandalorian tradition she had previously ignored.
As she returned without the darksaber, Kryze's gathered forces rejected her and struck out under Woves's leadership as mercenaries. When Djarin traveled to the ruins of Mandalore and was captured by a cyborg scavenger living in the rubble, losing the Darksaber in the process, Kryze rescued him by picking up the Darksaber and cutting down the cyborg. While she returned the blade to Djarin, he had, in all truth, lost any claim to the Mandalorian throne, but Kryze had secured her own claim by slaying the one who bested him. After her time with the Children of the Watch and agreeing to be a Mandalorian who walked both paths, the orthodox ways of the Watch and the unorthodox way of her own clan, Kryze traveled to Woves and her former forces and, with Djarin's blessing, reclaimed the Darksaber, as per the combat code of succession. As the restored Mand'alor, she led the Watch and her own followers in the reconquest of Mandalore. While Gideon destroyed the Darksaber, the battle was a victory for the Mandalorians, who reclaimed their homeworld as a united people under Kryze.
The title of Mand'alor first appeared in Tales of the Jedi – The Sith War 1, the first issue in the Star Wars Legends Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Sith War series of comics, which was published by Dark Horse Comics in 1995. The title became canon when it was mentioned in a featurette that was included in Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Two, a box set available on Blu-ray or DVD that included the entirety of the second season of The Clone Wars that was released on October 26, 2010.