Tribes, Empire and the Church
Before nation-states were developed in 1648, people all over the world lived in local tribes or clans.
They essentially ruled themselves and took care of their own matters.
Empires were essentially large groups of tribes or clans that were controlled or governed, usually by an emperor.
Empires may have been small and limited one region.
They also may have been large, perhaps covering much of a continent – like the Roman Empire.