The family is estimated to be composed of 15,000 members, but the majority of the power and wealth is possessed by a group of only about 2,000. The House of Saud has gone through three phases: the First Saudi State (1744â1818), the Second Saudi State (1818â91), and the modern nation of Saudi Arabia (1916âpresent). The First Saudi State marked the expansion of Wahhabism. The Second Saudi State was marked with continuous infighting.