Portugal was one of the first countries to rise during the Age of Exploration.
Of course, even though Portugal gained a lot of profit during the Age of Exploration, allowing the country to rise quickly.
Portugal was still quite aware of its own national shortcomings.
That is, Portugal's internal market was limited, and the population could never grow rapidly due to territorial constraints.
If Portugal wanted to become a true regional power, it needed more population, a broader market, and more land.
Thus, Portugal turned its attention to Morocco, which had rather favorable geographical conditions.
And coincidentally, at this time, internal strife broke out in Morocco, with the new king overthrowing the old king, and because of this internal strife, Morocco faced a dire situation on all fronts.
