Grote was settled in the early 300's by person(s) unknown. It was always a bolt hole, on the Main, but not on the main traffic route.  Nothing in system to peek the interest of any polity. It's always been a anarchistic place, ruled more by families, clans, and businesses than any system wide form of governance. Refugees and reprobates gave it a pretty steady growth rate for 400 years.  System population by 750 was ~5 million, mostly belters, free trader crews, etc.
    When the Trilateralists fell in the Swords, a powerful refugee family called the Addakkumak came to Grote. This was old hat for them, the had originally fled the new Imperium from a pocket empire in Ilelish to the Swords. They were rich and talented.  They immediately began to work, the class "A" starport was their effort. They also brought in lots of skilled workers and absorbed many lesser clans and businesses. By ~750, they were the de facto rulers of Grote and the remaining clans resented it badly. Addakkumak holdings were run as a business with employee profit sharing.
          The Addakkumak also dabbled in Sword politics, hoping someday to lead a return of the Trilateralists. When their influence caused a schism of the Sword Confederation government, they earned quite a few enemies. In 764, the Sacnoth fragment of the SWC invaded Grote hoping to occupy the system and use it's industries and resources as a commerce raider "factory" for the upcoming 3rd FW. The occupation was botched however.  It took two tries to invade Grote proper and both belts were never fully under Sacnoth's control.
         Most of Grote's population bugged out during the attacks and subsequent occupation. The Addakkumak who fled used their money and influence to snatch the entire populations of belt habitats out from under the Sacnoth's nose and resettle them elsewhere. The Addakkumak, most to their chagrin, also negotiated Grote's membership in the Imperium as a way to drive the Swords out.
          After the 3rd FW, Grote continued to lose population.  Some people didn't want to be a part of the Imperium, others didn't want the Imperium to know where they were. Business was depressed, the Addakkumak had little capital left for rebuilding.  The system has sort of limped along ever since.
          One of the terms in Grote's membership petition dealt with how the system's population would be assessed.  The Addakkumak successfully limited the pop census to clan members only.  Thus Grote has an official pop of ~ 40K, but nearly 100K actually live there.  This has kept the nobility of the Glisten subsector from awarding a barony based on Grote.
     The Imperial Port Warden, the person responsible for the legal niceties at the port, hold a rank appointment of baron, but their are no Imperial fiefs in the system. The Addakkumak employ most of the system's population, either directly, via their holdings, or indirectly, via their suppliers.