Charles leaves Majorca unauthorized in 1460 and lands in Barcelona, where he is welcomed by the two chief factions, the Busca and the Biga.

John does not initially react to the situation, but he calls Charles to his court at Lleida to discuss the proposed marriage of Charles to Isabella, infanta of Castile.

He still refuses to recognize Charles as his "first born", probably seeking to reserve that title for Ferdinand, but arousing opposition in the meantime.

Charles opens negotiations with Henry IV of Castile, his father's inveterate enemy.

At Lleida on December 2, 1460, he is arrested and imprisoned in Morella.

This causes an uproar in Catalonia, where Charles is immensely popular, and the king is forced to suspend court.

The Generalitat and the Diputació, the municipal council of Barcelona, create a Consell del Principat ("Council of the Principality") to settle the matter of the rightful succession.

A parliament is called for January 8, 1461.