What factors led Europeans to begin their voyages of exploration?

There are several factors that lead to European exploration. The first is to escape the dismal conditions left behind from the Middle Ages, the Plague, and the Crusades. The Crusades, although leaving much of Europe war-torn, did lead to a new fascination for other cultures and the second major factor in exploration. That fascination lead to Europeans looking for more trade routes to acquire gold, spices, and fine fabrics. The last major factor in exploration was religion. Christianity (largely through the Crusades) had made it a duty to spread the religion and its teachings to the far ends of the Earth and to convert any with a different faith. The exception to this is England, where Christians fled to evade Catholic rule.