The village is surrounded by Sélestat on the east side, Orschwiller to the south and Lièpvre to the west along with La Vancelle and Châtenois to the north.

The 13th century Château de Kintzheim overlooks the settlement and marks the edge of the game rich forests of the Vosges Mountains.

One of Charlemagne's palaces, known as "Villa Regia" (Quuningishaim), and translated into subsequent Germanic dialect as "Kunigesheim", was clearly positioned on the slopes of Kintzheim.

A year later, in 775, it is recorded that Charlemagne, returning to Aachen from his conquest of Lombardy, visited the "Palatium Selestatis", his autumn palace most likely on the slopes of the Kintzheim hills.

As part of a land exchange during a lull in a fratricidal war, Charlesmagne's grandson, the emperor Lothar I, in February 843 offered Kunigesheim (Königsheim) to Erchanger de Souabe, Count of Nordgau.

These were close to the hospice at Sélestat, known at this time as Abtissinhurst or Graveloch, and which, it is claimed, was part of the court complex (la cour colongères) belonging to the Abbey of Andlau at Kintzheim.

Erchangar's daughter, Richardis (Sainte Richarde d'Andlau after her canonisation in 1049), the (ultimately estranged) wife of Charles the Fat, would inherit all these assets.

During the 13th century the German emperors transferred the income of the village to the local noble families, including the Kagens, the Rathsamhausens (then written Racenhuzen) and the Andlaus.

In 1298 the inhabitants of the nearby village of Châtenois, at this time administered by the bellicose Bishop of Strasbourg, torched and devastated the castle at Kintzheim.

In 1338 the nearby town of Sélestat set about buying the lands of Kintzheim from its noble landlords, although the Abbey of Andlau would continue to exercise certain prerogatives including the appointment of the provost until 1534.

The peasant uprising started in several centres including Sélestat, though in reality it had been brewing during a much longer period and over a wider area: the revolt raged across Germanic central Europe for three years.

Since the previous century Alsace had been ravaged by a succession of military invasions involving the destruction of villages and crops: the burden of homes burned down and of harvests destroyed or stolen was always suffered most acutely by the peasants.

In addition to economic shortage and loss must be added the exploitation of the small farmers by the nobility and the monasteries: the result was a growing antagonism towards landowners.