Sark is a planet in Isaac Asimov's Empire series.
About Sark[]
Sark was a powerful planet located in the same stellar system as its subordinate neighbor, Florina. Its capital was Sark City. It is the homeworld of the Sarkite aristocracy and the capital of a pre-Imperial hegemony that derived its immense wealth and galactic importance from its control over the planet Florina and the unique kyrt fiber.
Historically, Sark was the center of three short-lived, pre-Imperial kingdoms that succeeded one another in rapid succession, though details of these early governments are sparse. Sark's rise to galactic prominence began when it comprehended the immense economic potential of kyrt, a unique and incredibly versatile natural fiber that grew only on Florina. After conquering Florina, Sark established a complete and ruthless monopoly over the kyrt trade.
This monopoly transformed Sark into one of the most significant political and economic entities in the galaxy, to the point where it could rival even the powerful Kingdom of Trantor. For five centuries, Florina was governed by the Great Squires of Sark, who were the heads of the five great families that controlled the kyrt monopoly. These families lived in immense luxury on Sark, while the native Florinian population was subjugated and forced into servitude to cultivate and process kyrt under harsh conditions.
The hegemony of Sark was ultimately broken by two major events. First, the Spatio-analyst known as Rik discovered that Florina's sun was on the verge of going nova, a revelation that forced a massive galactic response and brought Trantorian influence directly into the sector. Second, and more decisively, Trantorian scientists successfully developed a technique for creating synthetic kyrt that was indistinguishable from the natural product.
With its monopoly broken and its primary source of wealth rendered worthless, Sark's power underwent a rapid and irreversible decline. Lacking other significant resources or industries, it was quickly and easily absorbed into the Trantorian Empire, ending its centuries of dominance and becoming just another subject world in the eventual rise of the Galactic Empire.