Final answer:
The motives for European exploration were God, glory, and gold. Europeans were motivated by religious zeal, the desire to establish new trade routes, spread their religion, establish new markets, and escape hardships at home. These motives led to an era of exploration.
Step-by-step explanation:
Motives for European Exploration
Historians generally recognize three motives for European exploration-God, glory, and gold. Particularly in the strongly Catholic nations of Spain and Portugal, religious zeal motivated the rulers to make converts and retake land from the Muslims. Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal described his "great desire to make increase in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and to bring him all the souls that should be saved."
Combined, these motives encourage Europeans to venture into uncharted waters, improve their navigational technologies, establish new trade routes, spread their religion, establish new markets, escape the prison or pordum at home, and lower the price for cherished goods. A new era of exploration was at hand.