Jean-Baptiste Poquelin was born in Paris in January 1622. His father was a prosperous upholster who became "valet tapissier de chambre du roi" in 1631, tending the king's furniture and upholstery. Jean-Baptiste was educated at the College de Clermont in Paris, but showed an interest in theatre from an early age, his father's workplace being located in an area filled with street actors. In 1643, at the age of 21, he decided to dedicate his life to theatre. He founded a troup called "L'Illustre Théâtre" and around the same time changed his name to Moliere. In the troup were Madeleine Béjart, his mistress, and about a dozen other young hopefuls - amongst them Armande Béjart, who may have been the illegitimate daughter of Madeleine and whom he married in 1662. They tried their luck in Paris but were repeatedly unsuccessful, so they embarked on a tour of the provinces, which will last 12 years. It was during that time that Moliere started to write plays for the company. In 1958, they decided to try their luck once more in Paris. On the evening of 24 October, the troup performed for the first time before the king Louis XIV and his courtiers. They performed one of Moliere's own plays and it was such a success that the king granted them use of the Hôtel du Petit Bourbon, one of the three most important theatres in Paris. The first play to be performed there was "Les Précieuses Ridicules", a satire of Madame de Rambouillet, a member of the king's court. Although he mocked the sly peasant and the vain bourgeois, he was careful not to attack the monarchy and the Church. He had made powerful enemies of some of the king's followers and the Petit Bourbon was shut down. But the king granted Moliere use of the Théâtre du Palais Royal, where he performed for the rest of his life. For the next 13 years, he directed plays and often played the main part. He collapsed, suffering a hemorrhage, on 17 February 1673 whilst performing his last play "Le malade imaginaire".