 Discussions took place in the Tower of London about how to deal with the revolt . The King had only a few troops at hand , in the form of the castle 's garrison , his immediate bodyguard and , at most , several hundred soldiers . Many of the more experienced military commanders were in France , Ireland and Germany , and the nearest major military force was in the north of England , guarding against a potential Scottish invasion . Resistance in the provinces was also complicated by English law , which stated that only the King could summon local militias or lawfully execute rebels and criminals , leaving many local lords unwilling to attempt to suppress the uprisings on their own authority . 
