The need for new trade routes to the east, the desire to spread christianity, and competition between european countries all contributed to the: a. beginning of european global exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries. b. start of the first crusade in the middle east during the 11th century. c. rapid expansion of the ottoman empire in the 10th and 11th centuries. d. end of the hundred years war between england and france in 1453