Why did Europe ripe for exploration in the 1600's?

Members of the 1600’s discovered that the world was a sphere which made it easier for them to navigate. After the fall of the Roman Empire during the Middle Age, the rest of Europe collapsed into many little groups. During the 1600’s, societies created new boats, named caravels, that were more resistant to pressure. They also had maps, charts, and compasses to guide them through the 50 years of navigation and sailors were educated so they knew how to read and write. They also had instruments to figure out where they were on the map they used the astrolabe, the quadrant, and the cross-staff, but they had no technology that discovered longitude. Curiosity from the crusades lead them to learn about interesting culture of the east and spices for food.