Loë was born into the Westphalian aristocracy on 9 September 1828 in Schloss Allner, in Hennef. His wealthy Catholic family held a baronial title, and his father sent him to be educated at the Ritterakademie in Bedburg. In 1845, Loë served his required year in the military, allowing him to enter the reserves. After graduating from the academy, he studied at Bonn University. Loë was not to stay at the university for long, however, as war with Denmark broke out over a border dispute known as the Schleswig-Holstein Question. The duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, located along the Danish border, were claimed by both Prussia and Denmark. When German Schleswig-Holsteiners rebelled, Prussia and other German states sent forces to intervene.