The first Kurds to challenge the authority of the Ottoman Empire did so primarily as Ottoman subjects, rather than "national" Kurds. They worked with other Ottoman subjects who were in opposition to the policies of Sultan Abdul Hamid II and in 1889 formed the CUP. Abdul Hamid responded with a policy of repression, but also of integration, co-opting prominent Kurdish opponents into the Ottoman power structure with prestigious positions in his government. This strategy appears successful given the loyalty displayed by the Kurdish Hamidiye Cavalry.