Attempts by Ottoman Empire to Establish Central Authority in Dersim in the First Half of the 19th Century Ottoman Empire was not succesful in establishing a real authority in Dersim since the conquest of that region. The tribes here had their own way of life and would not take resbonsibility towards the Empire. It was also a common situation for them to damage the other settlements in the region. Dersim was therefore one of the most important regions to be taken under control in accordance with the centralization policy, which started with Sultan Mahmut II. For that purpose, four operations were undertaken to Dersim but Ottoman Empire was unable to succeed despite all their effort