Harnischfechten

German school of historical fencing

page of Mscr. Dresd. C 93 by Paulus Hector Mair (1540s)
Also known as	historical German swordsmanship, Kunst des Fechtens
Focus	longsword, messer, dagger, polearms, grappling
Country of origin	Holy Roman Empire
Famous practitioners	Johannes Liechtenauer, Hans Talhoffer, Paulus Hector Mair, Sigmund Ringeck

The German school of fencing (Deutsche Schule; Kunst des Fechtens) is a system of combat that was taught in the Holy Roman Empire during the Late Medieval, Renaissance and Early Modern periods (14th to 17th centuries), as described in the Fechtbücher ("combat manuals") written at the time. The geographical center of this tradition was in what is now Southern Germany (Augsburg, Frankfurt, Nuremberg). During the period in which it was taught, it was known as the Kunst des Fechtens, or the "Art of Fencing" (commonly mistranslated as the "Art of Fighting"). Though the German school of fencing focuses primarily on the use of the two-handed longsword, it also describes the use of many other weapons, including mounted combat, unarmed grappling, polearms, daggers, messers (with or without a buckler), and the staff.

Most authors of writings on the system are, or claim to be, in the tradition of the 14th century master Johannes Liechtenauer. The earliest surviving treatise on Liechtenauer's system is a manuscript dated to 1389, known as Ms. 3227a. More manuscripts survive from the 15th century, and during the 16th century the system was also presented in print, most notably by Joachim Meyer in 1570. The German tradition was largely eclipsed by the Italian school of rapier fencing by the early 17th century, however, practitioners of the German school persisted at least until the end of the 18th century.