Longsword fighting techniques are inseparably linked to Johannes Liechtenauer, a 14th century German fencing master. <br>Unfortunately there are no records of his life but he was described by many later masters as the “Grand Master” of his art. <br>His teachings were preserved in a poem called “Zettel”, a cryptic poem that could only be understood by initiated disciples. <br>The earliest treatise on Liechtenauer’s system is a manuscript dating to 1389 known as Codex 3227a. <br>The history of the German school of longsword fencing covers over 250 years between the 14th and the 17th century.