Every country in the world had its fair share of growing pains. But in this specific world, these ever-increasing pains would usually amount to the entire annihilation of a species. It's why the Elves don't exist in his world, nor do the beast men who once held an empire that spanned continents.
Which was caused by one specific reason.
No matter how big a country or society becomes, no matter what happens, if the individuals that hold true power don't like you, then your end would be a sad one.
This can be seen from the beast men, who denied the gods and kept worshiping their totems. Now none of them exist.
And since their annihilation, there is a common saying that for a nation to exist, it would need the backing of a church.