Final answer:
The expansion of the Ottoman Empire controlled critical trade routes, prompting Europeans to search for sea routes to Asia to avoid high taxes and monopolies. Innovations in navigation helped them undertake voyages that led to the Age of Exploration.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the fifteenth century, the Ottoman Empire expanded and controlled major trade routes, including the Silk Road and access to Red Sea ports. This dominance led to disruptions in the established trade framework for Europeans, who sought to bypass paying heavy taxes on goods like silk, spices, and other luxury items from East Asia. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 and Ottoman control over trade with India accelerated European countries' efforts to find alternative routes.
Technological advancements in navigation such as the magnetic compass, combined with the desire to bypass expensive overland travel and the monopoly of Italian merchants, motivated explorers to seek a sea passage to Asia. Ventures like those of Christopher Columbus were driven by these economic and geopolitical pressures, leading to the onset of the Age of Exploration and the establishment of new maritime trade routes.