The traditional martialists constituted a Mandalorian faction comprised of Mandalorian warrior clans wielding considerable influence on the planet of Mandalore around 39 BBY. Following the rise of the pacifistic New Mandalorians, a minority of the traditional martialists resorted to violent methods to preserve their control, thereby instigating the Mandalorian Civil War. The traditionalists faced defeat and subsequent banishment, with Mandalorian warriors being exiled to the moon of Concordia. There, after internal conflicts, Pre Vizsla unified the traditionalists, establishing Death Watch, which cultivated a clandestine network of supporters throughout the New Mandalorian government.
The martial traditionalists were a group of Mandalorians who maintained their grip on power on the planet of Mandalore as of 39 BBY. Around this time, a peace movement emerged, gradually gaining momentum to challenge the martial traditionalists of Mandalore, who were made up of Mandalorian warrior clans, as most Mandalorians saw no lasting benefits from mercenary skills in warfare.
The peace movement highlighted the city of Sundari as an example of an alternative lifestyle. However, by the time Duchess Satine Kryze of Clan Kryze spearheaded the New Mandalorian faction around 41 BBY or 39 BBY, a minority of martial traditionalists employed violence to hold onto their authority. The Mandalorian Civil War erupted between the traditionalists and the New Mandalorians, necessitating the protection of Duchess Satine by the Jedi Order from Mandalorian insurgents and bounty hunters during the year-long civil conflict.
As the war concluded, the New Mandalorians emerged victorious, and the surviving traditionalists were banished to Mandalore's moon, Concordia. Subsequently, the traditionalists engaged in infighting for dominance, eventually regrouping under the leadership of Pre Vizsla while Mandalore underwent reconstruction and flourished. Vizsla established Death Watch from the remaining traditionalists, fostering a clandestine network of sympathizers at all levels of Mandalorian society. The civil war resulted in a major division of Mandalorians into three factions: the New Mandalorians, Death Watch, and the Old Mandalorians.
Following an attack perpetrated by a Death Watch saboteur on a cruiser belonging to the Galactic Republic, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi journeyed to Mandalore to investigate. There, Prime Minister Almec of the New Mandalorians informed Kenobi that no true Mandalorian could have been the culprit, as all warriors from the civil war had been exiled to Concordia and perished years prior. Vizsla briefly assumed the title of Mand'alor after Death Watch, with the assistance of Sith Lord Maul's Shadow Collective, orchestrated a takeover of Mandalore. After Vizsla betrayed Maul, the Sith Lord killed Vizsla, seizing control of Death Watch and dividing the group into loyalists who formed the Mandalore resistance, and traditionalists who served as Mandalorian super commandos.