The New Mandalorians represented a pacifistic movement among the Mandalorians, holding sway over the Mandalore system located in the Outer Rim. Unlike the Old Mandalorians, they championed pacifism, neutrality, and non-violence, prioritizing these values over martial skill and military might. Until its collapse following the coup in 19 BBY, a Duchess of Mandalore governed them. Their pacifistic principles were eventually challenged by Death Watch, a group that aimed to reinstate the Mandalorian people's ancestral violent traditions. Despite their rejection of the old ways, the New Mandalorians' capital city of Sundari featured murals that depicted their wartime exploits against the Jedi Order.
Sometime prior to the Invasion of Naboo, a civil war broke out on the Outer Rim world of Mandalore for control of the planet. This conflict pitted opposing ideologies within Mandalorian society against each other. On one side were the warrior clans and insurgents who wanted to revive their warrior heritage, and on the other was the New Mandalorian government, headed by Satine Kryze of House Kryze.
During this conflict, the Jedi Order dispatched Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. They spent a year on Mandalore to safeguard the Duchess from insurgents who tried to assassinate them using bounty hunters, forcing them into hiding. At the conclusion of the civil war, Kryze assumed leadership of Mandalore, while the clans faced exile to Concordia.
Although the exiled clans were thought to have perished on Concordia, the survivors had actually reorganized and established the Death Watch splinter faction. This group opposed the pacifist Mandalorian government and sought to restore Mandalore's militaristic culture. Concordia's Governor, Pre Vizsla, and Duchess Satine's own sister, Bo-Katan Kryze, secretly led them.