The First Mandalorian War was a conflict that occurred two years before the Second Mandalorian War and one hundred and forty years before the Jedi Wars. The last of many wars between the Jedi and the Mandalorians, it began when the armies of Mandalore the Destroyer attacked Coruscant .
The war ended with the formation of the Mandalore Alliance, an alliance cementing the bond and loyalty between the Jedi Order and the Mandalorians. The subsequent war was fought between the Alliance and the Sith Empire of Korriban and Liberated Systems.
Rise of the Destroyer[]
When a tyrant rises, he must be put down for the safety and integrity of the galaxy. Mandalore the Destroyer is a tyrant
—Amnon Gabra, Jedi Master
Even before his attack on Coruscant in 78,022 ABY, Mandalore the Destroyer was acknowledged as a growing threat by the New Republic and Jedi Council (Cindoris V). The Mandalore spent the better part of five years amassing an army that would crush the New Republic and sow seeds of chaos throughout the Core Worlds.
Attack of Coruscant[]
Main article: Battle of Coruscant (First Mandalorian War)
The attack on Coruscant showed us one thing, the Mandalorians do not favour honour. Their mission is simple, to bring about chaos and the ultimate end of the New Republic
—General Bal Hune
The New Republic had experienced an extended period of prosperity and peace entering the 79th century After the Battle of Yavin, with the Jedi Order continuing to strengthen the ties to the Old Republic and the teachings of the Force. Coruscant was traditionally protected by a stationary fleet of Republic ships. Despite strong defenses, the planet was caught off guard when a massive Mandalorian fleet appeared in the Coruscant subsector and immediately destroyed half of the defense fleet.
General Bal Hune, a seasoned Republic commander, was alerted of the preliminary attack and the Republic deployed a counterattack from the planet's surface to try and repel the Mandalorians. The destruction of one of their flagships caused the Mandalorians to retreat, having done heavy damage to Coruscant's surface city and the Republic fleet.
First Battle of Taris and Skirmish on Dantooine[]
Main article: First Battle of Taris
The Republic, reeling from an attack on their capital, were forced to rush to the defense of another of their key planets, Taris, which had long since been a major planet in both the New Republic and its predecessor, the Galactic Republic. The Mandalorians targeted Taris much as they had done Coruscant, obliterating the orbiting defenses before bombarding the surface of the New Upper City and causing heavy destruction and loss of life.
The New Republic fleet, commanded by Admiral Sul Sharala, arrived in orbit of Taris and immediately engaged the Mandalorian fleet, resulting in a continual struggle above the planet while the surface lay in half ruin. A contingent of Jedi, led by Ammon Gabra, were dispatched to the planet's surface to help with evacuating much of the damaged parts of the Upper City. They were confronted by one of the Mandalore's most powerful lieutenants, Malachturk, whom Gabra defeated in single combat after the Mandalorian defeated several Jedi Knights in the battle. The Republic fleet continued to push back against the Mandalorians but were forced to retreat, leaving Taris to be subjugated by the Mandalorians.
Main article:Battle of Dantooine
Two years passed while the Republic regrouped on Coruscant and the Mandalorians continued to wage havoc across lesser worlds in the Outer Rim. The Chancellor and Senate were temporarily located to the Mercury, a space station in in the Mid Rim, for their security. The Republic War Council, led by General Hune and Grand Admiral Gabal Ackbar, formulated a plan to retake Taris from the Mandalorian occupation, but this required a covert mission to take out the Mandalorian flagship blockading the planet.
Meanwhile, having weakened the Republic with successive attacks on Coruscant and Taris, the Mandalorians decided to strike a heavy blow to the Jedi Order by attacking their temple on Dantooine. Largely defenseless, the Mandalorian attack on Dantooine saw the destruction of the Jedi Temple and the deaths of many Jedi, with Jedi Master Alanna Mosoro escaping the destruction and fleeing to Coruscant to regroup with the Republic command.
Second Battle of Taris[]
Main article: Second Battle of Taris (First Mandalorian War)
Three years after the initial attack on Coruscant and with Taris growing weaker under Mandalorian control, the Republic back their suicide mission to retake Taris from the Mandalore. Amassing their fleet under Grand Admiral Ackbar and General Hune, the might of the Republic engaged the flagship the Tal'galar and the Mandalorian fleet with a squadron of bombers directly targeting the flagship. After continued fire by the Republic fleet and the successful disabling of the flagship's shields, the Tal'galar was obliterated by the Republic fleet and Taris was liberated from Mandalorian control, signalling a major victory for the New Republic.
Learning of the Tal'galar's destruction and the loss of Taris, the Mandalore prepared to strike back at the New Republic and destroy their fleet. Intercepting Admiral Sul Sharala the Mandalore destroyed the entirety of the Republic fleet defending the Hathis Outpost in neutral space, crippling a significant number of the Republic Fleet in the process.
The Republic Strikes Back[]
Main article: Battle of Mandatar
Stinging from their defeat at Hatish Outpost and the loss of one of their finest admirals in Sul Sharala, the Republic fleet regrouped on the reclaimed Taris and a year after the Destruction of Hathis Outpost launched a full scale attack on Mandatar, blockading the Mandalorian owned planet and dealing a decisive blow to the Mandalorian fleet in retaliation for the destruction of the Hathis Outpost.
Admiral Gabal Ackbar, who had taken over control of majority of the New Republic, lead the armada to a victory over Mandatar, with the crippled Mandalorian fleet retreating to their core world of Mandalore.
The End of A Tyrant[]
Main article: Battle of Mandalore (First Mandalorian War)
Following their victory over Mandatar, the New Republic moved to end the war by attacking the Mandalorian homeworld of Mandalore, where the Mandalore had amassed his fleet and majority of his armies to defend the planet.
The New Republic fleet arrived at the orbiting moon of Concordia, destroying the preliminary defences before Admiral Ackbar commanded the fleet to attack the orbiting Mandalorian defences.
Both sides suffered the destruction of many of their flagships, but the Republic regained the upper hand by disabling the planet's defences enough to launch an attack on the surface of Mandalore, with General Bal Hune and Jedi Knight Alanna Mosoro leading the assault on the capital of the planet, Keldabe.
Following a hours long battle on the surface, General Bal Hune was slain by the Mandalore and the Mandalorian army retreated further into Keldabe, pursued by the surviving New Republic strikeforce and Alanna Mosoro. The fighting continued before Mosoro challenged the Mandalore to single combat to end the war, defeating him and ending the conflict after six years.
Aftermath[]
With the Mandalore dead and the Mandalorian Horde subdued, the successor to Mandalore the Destroyer, Zandous Ordo (who had fought during the conflict) agreed to a peace treaty with the New Republic and Jedi Order, leading to the Mandalore Alliance that led to an alliance between the Republic and Mandalorian Empire and ended centuries of conflict.
Within two years, the Alliance came under attack from the Sith Empire of Korriban and Liberated Systems, under Evxa-Uun. This conflict became known as the Second Mandalorian War and lasted to 78,033 ABY, where the Battle of Kamino saw the deaths of both Zandous Ordo and Zaron Fett and the crippling defeat of the Mandalorian Empire.