The Ottoman turks drove people away from the Mediteranian, forcing them to discover somewhere new. In only 200 years Europe would go on to make itself around the globe. There were many reasons for expansion. But this was not the real reason for most of the expansion. Click on the question mark to reveal the true motivation for exploration.
Money makes the world go around and it made Europe go around the world.
The innovations in trade and finance made it possible to do on long voyages. Under the merchantilist society, one where there is a political coalition between central government and the merchant class, government encouraged Europeans to expand internal markets and overseas activity. This form of government set economic policies benefitting it and the merchant class. With policies such as this it was hard not to want to expand. Portugal was the first to the go around the West African coast.