Nation=state=YOUR/a country!  There are many things that help create the concept of what a "nation"is. A specific, defined territory. Culture. Religion. Shared past/ stories/ LANGUAGE.  We will we see the concept of NATIONALISM every unit (basically) for the rest of the of year. Again, sharing a culture, religion are huge. What i would say is the first example of a nation or PEOPLE identifying w NATIONALISM is language. Remember, stuff written pre renaissance is going to almost alway be written language, the language of culture. (of that time.) As education and writing becomes more common in the renaissance folks will begin to write in their own native language. For example, the Italian, Dante Alghieri wrote is Poem the Divine Comedy in his Tuscan dialect. It'll set the stage for the italian language; pride! In our next unit, we'll see religious reformer demand that the Catholic church print bibles in the vernacular of the people, NOT in latin. Also, mass in catholic churches is spoken in latin only--till like 1961! Anyway, these folks who will PROTEST the Catholic Church and wish to REFORM it will soon write the Bible in their native language. German (Martin Luther) and English (William Tyndale) Once people start to read the Bible, they will understand what's going on it it. They will recognize the hypocrisy of the Renaissance Era Popes (alexander, julius, leo(a medici), adrian, and clement (another Medici!!)  Many will call for these leaders to LEAD in the manner the Bible prescribes. Many, including devoutly catholic Erasmus of Rotterdam criticize the Church (see in Praise of Folly)  The newer, NORTHERN Renaissance is WAY more religious than Italian one. Religious reformers will emerge throughout the HRE (basically what'll be germany someday), Switzerland, and England. They will grow tired of the CENTRALIZED authority of the Pope in Rome. They'll want to worship God the way the feel is best, not the way the Pope thousands of miles away orders. Guys.....the theme of Centralized authority (think STRONG kings, nation state, new monarch) v DE-CENTRALIZED authority (now, think HRE, and the religious themes of the PROTESTant REFORMERS) will become increasingly important. At the heart of it......"keep things local." Nationalism is tied to this. We'll see it the whole year. It's powerful, uniting, and potentially dangerous.