Tsad

A tsad (Mando'a for "alliance") was a term referring to a confederacy of Mandalorian clans. Although all clans were traditionally required to obey by the laws of the recognized Mand'alor, many clans were still ideologically divided, leading to the formation of tsads, each with their own ideologies and tactics. Clans within an individual tsad shared the same currency, laws, and political orientation. The "war council" of elders that advised the Mand'alor was comprised of representatives (tsad'osilarir), each one representing a particular tsad. Tsads that opposed the Mand'alor, either through violation of recognized laws or through rebellion, were not permitted representation in the Mand'alors court. Each clan maintained its own warrior class, though all warriors within a tsad served under the same banner. Although not common, there were many prominent clans that were not part of tsads. The Mand'alor themselves typically commanded their own tsad in order to cement their powerbase, as the Mandalorian society's feudal structure often limited the Mand'alors political and legal influence.

As clans gradually became a mostly ceremonial part of Mandalorian culture, the prevalence of tsads declined drastically. As of the Clone Wars era, the most notable active tsad was the Death Watch (Kyr'tsad, transliterated to "death alliance"), which boasted a warrior class of over 4,000 warriors of either direct or indirect affiliation across the Mandalore sector and waged war with multiple Supercommando cells for decades since the Mandalorian civil war.

The largest known tsad was Tsad Bral, which was ruled by Clan Bralsin and was centered at Norg Bral. Tsad Bral was disbanded following a large war with Clan Beviin's vassals, though the Bralsins maintained their sovereignty over Norg Bral.

Organization
Each tsad comprised several clans (ranging from as little as two clans up to over fifty on average) spearheaded by a ruling clan. Each of the vassal clans within a tsad ruled over small settlements, some even being limited to a few farms, while the ruling clan operated from a fortified city which often served as a de facto capital. Chieftains of ruling clans sometimes used the foreign title "overlord" (tekar harva'a) or, more rarely, king (naor).

Some tsads operated as political unions (in the form of nation-states)