@ Hecatee: the whole HRE-France border region form Hainaut, Luxembourg, Lorraine, county palatine of Burgundy, Dauphiné to Provence all experienced French influence IOTL already.
It wasn't always initiated by the French monarch directly, nor his vassals, but culturally influence is more than that. IMHO even ITTL England will still be influenced by France one way or the other, though maybe more like how the HRE was influenced IOTL.
Still if the king of France would manage to add Normandy to his demesne sooner than IOTL, it would increase French royal authority sooner than IOTL.
OTOH with a POD in 1066, the Salian dynasty might persist in the HRE and the HRE might never become as fragmented as it was IOTL 1500. Moreover in 1066 France was more divided than the HRE. However where France has to potential to centralize much further than the HRE, even a more successful ATL HRE would still be somewhat 'federal' (for the lack of a better word).
Also by this point it was still the HRE with the manpower advantage, however both France and the HRE or England for that matter would have difficulties to mobilize them all.
It wasn't always initiated by the French monarch directly, nor his vassals, but culturally influence is more than that. IMHO even ITTL England will still be influenced by France one way or the other, though maybe more like how the HRE was influenced IOTL.
Still if the king of France would manage to add Normandy to his demesne sooner than IOTL, it would increase French royal authority sooner than IOTL.
OTOH with a POD in 1066, the Salian dynasty might persist in the HRE and the HRE might never become as fragmented as it was IOTL 1500. Moreover in 1066 France was more divided than the HRE. However where France has to potential to centralize much further than the HRE, even a more successful ATL HRE would still be somewhat 'federal' (for the lack of a better word).
Also by this point it was still the HRE with the manpower advantage, however both France and the HRE or England for that matter would have difficulties to mobilize them all.