Final answer:
Antwerp overtook Bruges due to harbor blockage, population growth, and economic development.
Explanation:
Antwerp overtook Bruges in importance by the middle of the fifteenth century due to several key factors:
- Bruges' harbor became blocked by silt, limiting its access to maritime trade routes.
- Antwerp became more populous and emerged as the main trading and commercial center of the Low Countries around 1500, attracting artists and craftsmen to join guilds.
- The economic boost in Antwerp led to its prominence in the art world, with the city becoming an internationally significant publishing center and a hub for artistic activities in the Flemish Baroque period.
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