<span>Portugal was at the vanguard of the Age of Exploration because they were the first to systematically pursue this field. The decline of the Venetian City state as a world power, the Spanish War to unite Spain into one nation and purge the Moors from Spain, and the political instability of the Italian city states left Portugal as the one true sea-faring nation to explore the world. In addition, Portugal made a no-aggression treaty with Castile—its traditional enemy—which allowed that it to pursue other interests. Portugal was vested in expanding Christian ideals in a crusader culture that spearheaded the expulsion of the North African Muslims from parts of Portugal. Swept up in the romantic ideals that Christianity had to expand, Portugal’s knightly orders were most influential in making exploration viable. Prince Henry the navigator, arguably one of the most powerful figures in the Age of Exploration established an innovative school to study the oceans. He also encouraged exploration across the seas. Portugal was the first nation to produce some of the most accurate maps of the world in the fifteenth century. In addition to cartography, Portuguese inventors made innovations in navigational instruments.</span>
