He was the second son of Gerhard I, Count of Holstein-Itzehoe and Elisabeth of Mecklenburg.

After his father's death in 1290, the county was divided among the surviving sons.

The seal reads He married on 12 December 1275 the Swedish Princess Ingeborg (c. 1262 – c. 1293), a daughter of King Valdemar of Sweden.

They had four children:[citation needed] In 1293 Gerhard married Agnes of Brandenburg, the widow of King Eric V of Denmark.

This article about a member of the German nobility is a stub.