This country was fortunate to have kings who recognized the voyages of exploration as an avenue to assist its expansion of overseas trade, and made every endeavour to assist in its funding. This gave Portugal a seventy-year head start over the Spanish, and it was not until Columbus" voyage in 1492 that the Spanish were finally in a position to challenge Portugal's dominance in exploration. .
Although Portugal and Spain were the major players in this global game, there were also other smaller players such as England, France, Italy and Poland. Words such as "luck" and "accidents" are often used in accounts of exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries. This was especially applicable to Christopher Columbus who, by way of mapping mistakes came across the Americas, a continent that was not supposed to exist. Nevertheless, the "perseverance and resolve of certain individuals, like Prince Henry the Navigator, sustained and nurtured exploration during its infancy". This persistence was expressed also by explorers like Gil Eanes, Christopher Columbus, and Bartolomeu Dias.
Prince Henry the Navigator was a religious man, and there were a number of factors that influenced his voyages of exploration. These included:.
1. "The Desire to know the country beyond Cape Bojador.
2. To establish trade relations advantageous to Portugal.
3. To determine the strength of his enemies in the region.
4. To seek allies to help wage battles against the enemies of Christianity.
5. To spread Christianity" .
But who financed these voyages? "It must be remembered that Prince Henry had control over the Military Order of Christ. Thus, the Military Order of Christ may have supplied the bulk of capital required to finance the early years of Prince Henry's explorations. The use of funds from a religious order made it imperative that exploration should be justified as having a high religious purpose, such as conversion of heathens to Christianity" .
