**Empire** – One country rules over a number of countries.  The subordinate countries may have been independent nations in their own right, or colonies established by the ruling country.  Laws are established by the ruling country and applied in the subordinate countries by representative of the Ruling Country’s government.  In the British Empire this representative was called the Governor and was technically responsible to the King (Queen) of the UK.  Countries may only leave the Empire with permission from the Ruling Country or war (American Revolutionary War).

++++ Some Historic Examples|

**The Roman Empire** – Client kings running their own nations with ‘governors’ in  place to collect taxes and see that roman law was upheld at the same time.  

**The Holy Roman Empire** – The Holy Roman Empire gave specific rulers the rights to be Elector-princes (a catch-all that included Kings, Dukes, Counts and Princes)  to vote in various diets or councils.  Among other things they helped to decide who should be the Holy Roman Emperor.

**Early Norman Britain** – The King ruled southern England, but other areas were hard and difficult to get to so the North East (Yorkshire) , the North West (Lancashire) were made palatine Duchies.  These great Dukes ruled their Duchies on their own cognisance, although they were also required to swear loyalty to the king and follow his basic laws.  That said they were a long way away and difficult to get to.  The Welsh Marcher barons and the Northern  Marcher Lords (on the Scottish Borders)  had similar freedom to rule as they chose.

**Celtic Ireland** – (the mythology is breath-taking – although it is generally accepted that the truth was more prosaic)  Sub-kings ruled a tribal area (we would probably call them chiefs) and were related (normally by blood) a Local-King  (Chieftain?) who was related  (again generally by blood) to a provincial king – who was ruler of that Great Clan / territory.  Then there was the High King of all Ireland – who held a very limited authority over the whole country.  Parts of ancient Scotland followed a similar practice.  In both, the junior kings eventually turned into more conventional nobles.
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**Federation** – A group of countries that come together to pool some of their sovereignty.  Binding contracts tie the federal government and the states together – which cannot be changed unilaterally.  The Federal Government deals with international and overarching laws while the subordinate governments deal with local laws.  In the US all levels of government are elected – although the subordinate ruler is still called the Governor.  States may only leave the federation by negotiation with the federal government (who can veto it) or war  (American Civil War).


**Confederation** – A group of countries that come together for the common wheal.  Each retains full sovereignty, but are tied together by  contracts and treaties that bind them together.  The EU might be seen as an example of this type of government.   Individual countries can leave the confederation