at that point in time i think in northern modern france you would have had a romano-gallic culture (speaking latin) being heavily repopulated by german tribes. While provincial romance did survive as the language, there is some speculation that the unusual vowel and consonant structure of french in north-western france (including paris) is related to moderately heavy germanic immigration in the late roman period and its impact on the spoken dialects of the language. It is unquestionable that french in that part of the country diverges in pronunciation patterns from romanish languages in portugal, spain, italy, romanish west switzerland, and southern france in some notable ways.
It sounds as though what would pass for the French at the time were even then subjugated to the Germans to some degree. It's no wonder the Germans clung to expansionist sentiment in the area well into the 20th Century.
I'm of German ancestry myself (Hannover area & Hinter-Pommern). The family arrived in America in May, 1854 and set up shop in Chicago. My main concern online is genealogy research and I've been trying to get some idea of exactly where (in those areas noted) they came from, but so far I've been stymied. The same is true to some degree in local research. The Great Chicago Fire played havoc with genealogical research; most of the records from before that catastrophe having been lost. My family lived just a little West and South of where the fire originated so they came through all right, the fire spreading East and North due to the prevailing winds.
Thanks for the information. I love history (American) and constantly have a book going. Right now it's Shelby Foote's third volume of 'The Civil War a Narrative'.
Best regards!