He was the son of the Duke Henry III of Mecklenburg and Ingeborg of Denmark.
Albert was also a claimant to the Danish throne[1] after the death of King Valdemar IV, but Olaf II succeeded instead.
[2] After his father Henry died in 1383, Albert ruled Mecklenburg jointly with his uncles Albert III and Magnus I and his cousin John IV.
He was married to Elisabeth of Holstein, the daughter of Nicholas, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg and died in December 1388.
In 1404 his widow Elisabeth married Duke Eric V of Saxe-Lauenburg.