Final answer:
The Portuguese were the front runners in European exploration, motivated by the need to bypass Muslim middlemen for Asian trade after the fall of Constantinople and advancements in navigational technology.
Step-by-step explanation:
European exploration can be credited to multiple factors including a desire for access to the wealth of Asia, advancements in navigational technology, and religious motivation. The need for new trade routes became particularly urgent after the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, which disrupted the European access to the Silk Road and other overland trade routes.
The Portuguese were the front runners in European exploration, starting with Prince Henry 'the Navigator' who established a school for navigational studies in the early 15th century. The exploration led by the Portuguese eventually allowed them to claim islands off the coast of Africa and to voyage down its western shore.
While the European push for exploration was greatly influenced by the trade opportunities presented by the Asian markets and goods, it also stemmed from religious zeal. Spanish exploration, in particular, was driven by a combination of religious motives and the search for glory, bolstered by revolutionary inventions like the compass and gunpowder, which were of Chinese origin but had found their way to Europe through trade networks.