Answer:
The kings of France, England, and Spain urged exploration and settlement of the New World because they wanted to expand their empires by acquiring land.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1400s, trade routes to China and the other eastern countries were cut for Europeans. It happened that the Muslim peoples, after several religious clashes in the Middle East, decided that no Christian kingdom could trade using its routes. This led to many European countries, mainly Spain, Portugal, France and England, deciding to explore various routes with the aim of reaching the east to trade with China and India, and obtain the precious spices that were highly valued in the European market.
This was how the Spanish kings financed the trip of Christopher Columbus, who in 1492 discovered the American continent. Once the Europeans became aware of the existence of this territory, and found that it did not belong to any of the known European kingdoms, they began to invade these lands and conquer them, seeking to obtain the maximum benefit from the natural resources available in the American lands.