Charles Edward Stuart (31 December 1720  – 31 January 1788) was the exiled Jacobite claimant to the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland. He is commonly known in English and Scots as Bonnie Prince Charlie. In Scots Gaelic, his name was Teàrlach Eideard Stiùbhairt, whilst the Irish form is Séarlas Éadbhard Stiúbhart.

Charles was the son of James Francis Edward Stuart who was in turn the son of James II and VII, who had been deposed in the Revolution of 1688. The Jacobite movement tried to restore the family to the throne. Charles's mother was James's Polish wife Maria Clementina Sobieska (1702–1735, granddaughter of the Polish King, John III Sobieski). After his father's death, Charles was recognised as Charles III by his supporters; his opponents referred to him as The Young Pretender.

Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Silvester Severino Maria Stuart was born in Rome, Italy, where his father had been given a residence by Pope Clement XI. He spent almost all his childhood in Rome and Bologna. In 1734, he participated in the French and Spanish siege of Gaeta; his first exposure to a military battle.