The Second Haitian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Haiti (French: Empire d'Haïti; Haitian Creole: Anpi an Ayiti), was a state which existed from 1849 to 1859. It was established by the then-President, former Lieutenant General and Supreme Commander of the Presidential Guards under President Riché, Faustin Soulouque,[1] who, inspired by Napoleon I, declared himself Emperor Faustin I of Haiti on August 26, 1849 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Port-au-Prince.[2] Faustin's unsuccessful invasions (in part due to the diplomatic interference of the United States and Spain)[3] in an attempt to reconquer the Dominican Republic (in 1849, 1850, 1855 and 1856), which seceded from Haiti in 1844, undermined his control over the country.