Michael’s armor reveals some information about him though his true pedigree is unknown. Such a suit was designed for the "foot tourney " a combat in which two men faced one another over a wooden barrier and struck each other with a prescribed number of blows from a pike or sword. The armor was probably made in southern Germany but officers from Austria Spain and parts of Italy would have sought it out. Soldiers always wore their sword on the opposite side of its primary use; thus this man’s rapier hanging from his right side demonstrates that he is left-handed. Michael proudly earned the nickname "Tank" during one of these foot tourneys when he masterfully disposed of thirteen opponents in the span of a single afternoon.
