There were many factors that motivated western Europeans to explore and colonize in the wider world. One motivating factor was the desire for wealth. Many Europeans were in search of gold and other treasures that they believe they could find in other worlds. Another factor was the desire for trade and new markets. Through trade, Europeans hoped for new goods such as spices and hoped to profit off of new markets and trade with other countries. Another major factor to explore and colonize new land was the desire to spread Christianity. Many European countries had missionary missions to spread their religion to other lands.
