Mandalorian Crusaders The Mandalorian Crusaders were the first documented type of Mandalorians , established by Mandalore the First sometime after 24 , 000 BBY . Under the command of Mandalore the Indomitable , they eventually became involved in the Great Sith War and fought for the Jedi turned Sith Lord Ulic Qel - Droma . The Crusaders were traditional Mandalorian warriors , placing highest value on gaining honor and glory in combat . History . Origins . According to legend , the Crusaders were first formed on the planet Mandalore around the year 7000 BBY by Mandalore the First , who is said to have conquered the world by defeating the Mythosaur , the great beasts who dominated the planet . After conquering Mandalore , the Mandalorians ventured on crusades in the years leading up to the Great Sith War , gaining them valuable planets such as Ordo , Concord Dawn , Shogun and Gargon . The Great Sith War . The Crusaders roamed space seeking war , making conquered worlds their home . Led by the warrior Mandalore the Indomitable , they arrived in the Empress Teta system by 3997 BBY . Riding their Basilisk War Droids , they destroyed a Krath Tetan carbonite smelter in orbit to provoke the Krath into fighting them . Ulic Qel - Droma , a Sith Lord associated with the Krath agreed to duel Mandalore on Mandalore ' s newly conquered world of Kuar . Ulic became the victor , and the Brotherhood of the Sith gained command of Mandalore ' s forces , an act that left many Mandalorians frustrated . A few extremists amongst the clans even declared themselves leaderless , as Mandalore in effect lost his title to Ulic , and Qel - Droma being an outsider couldn ' t take it . Too few in numbers , the voices of those objectors wasn ' t heard . These same objectors later founded the Neo - Crusader movement on Mandalore . The Crusaders fought on Ulic ' s side in the Battle of Foerost , Coruscant and eventually were ordered to Onderon by Exar Kun . During that battle , they survived only by retreating to the Dxun moon . Mandalore himself was killed by the beasts of Dxun . The defeat left the Mandalorians scattered , many feeling betrayed and speaking of vengeance against the Republic and its Jedi guardians . The Mandalorian Wars . Soon after the Sith War , a new Mandalore named the Ultimate rose to power . He called upon aides to help him reshape the identity of the Mandalorian forces , and as a group of warriors named the Neo - Crusaders began calling for the reestablishment of the tradition , Mandalore used the group as a foundation for his goal . During the onslaught on the outer rim , a veteran Crusader named Rohlan Dyre began to question the motive behind the war and specifically the Neo - Crusaders . Ironically , Rohlan soon became a tool for Mandalore , who used him as a cautionary tale promoting the Neo - Crusaders . During the invasion into the Republic , Mandalore had Neo - Crusaders present in every unit to spread the ideals of uniformity and order in an attempt to boost morale and convert Crusaders to this new way of life . A few resisted , but many more converted , such as the warrior Canderous Ordo . During the Taris Siege , the Crusader quickly became a shrinking minority in the Mandalorian forces . There were still some objectors , and a few even turned down commands from Cassus Fett . After the final battle of the Mandalorian Wars the Mandalorians again scattered across the galaxy . Many honorable warriors continued the traditions while many others swallowed their pride and became soldiers for hire . Legacy . Two murals depicting Crusaders battling Jedi were located under a central balcony of the Sundari Royal Palace in Sundari on Mandalore during the Clone Wars . Both Pre Vizsla , after taking over Mandalore , and Almec , after being reinstated as Prime Minister by Darth Maul , made speeches from the balcony , and Darth Sidious dueled with Maul and Savage Opress on the balcony and in front of the murals . Doctrine and organization . According to legend , the Mandalorian forefathers used to be deeply religious and used warfare as a ritual to their gods . The society changed over the millennia , including their once sophisticated holy laws devolved into the Canons of Honor , and war itself became the object of worship . Any campaign they waged became a Crusade if it promised holy carnage . Traditional Crusaders had no written laws , but the few rules that existed were sacred to their society . The most important were the " Resol ' nare " , or the six actions . Other norms included the Canons of Honor , which helped warriors to gain honor and glory by participating in battles and being loyal to one ' s clan . Unlike the Neo - Crusader movement , the Crusaders didn ' t conscript or seek out warriors to join their cause , but attracted individuals by the examples they set . The resol ' nare had nothing to say when it came to species , and amongst the Taung s were a great variety of different species all united and dedicated to the movement as equals . A society of traditionally nomadic warriors , the Mandalorian Crusaders did not recognize bureaucracy . Division of labor sorted itself out organically . A warrior needed to be self - sufficient and competent , and each warrior was responsible for their own feeding and supplying . Instead of relying on helmet transceivers , Crusaders carried information through the forces by sound and vision . They always kept an eye on their fellow warriors to respond when battle situations changed . Since the Crusaders had no ranks , they traditionally followed the most experienced veteran on the field into battle . Even with no formal units , the Crusaders often named these informal formations . One such was Viper Alpha , who fought in the Battle of Ossus during the Sith War . Armor . The Crusaders used two basic suits of armor , the combat suit and battle armor , which was sometimes used by veterans . Each warrior however customized their armors internally as externally so no two suits were identical in any way . Most suits were geared towards personal combat , the form of combat considered most honorable by the Crusaders . It was often organic in appearance , as warriors generally decorated their armors with spikes and straps . During the Sith War , the Crusaders often employed the Zim Systems rocket packs . The armors were airtight , so the warriors could ride the open - mount model of the Basilisk War Droid s in vacuum as well as in atmosphere for up to ten hours .