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Tsaritsa Giovanna of Bulgaria, (13 November 1907 - 26 February 2000) was the last Tsaritsa of Bulgaria.
Born in Rome, the third daughter of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Queen Elena, former Princess of Montenegro, Giovanna was raised in the Villa Savoia and from a young age was aware her aim in life was to further the House of Savoy's dynastic aspirations through marriage. Although it would eventually prove to be of no assistance to Italy, Giovanna duly married Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria in Assisi in October 1930, at a wedding attended by Benito Mussolini. At a second ceremony in Sofia, Bulgaria, Giovanna converted to Orthodox, bringing her into conflict with the Catholic church. She then got on with the task of producing an heir to the Bulgarian throne, first giving birth to Marie-Louise in January 1933 and then successfully producing an heir in Simeon II of Bulgaria in 1937.
In the years prior to World War II, Giovanna became heavily involved in charities, including the financing of a children's hospital. During the war she counterbalanced her husband consigning Bulgaria to the Axis by obtaining transit visas to enable a number of Jews to escape to Argentina. Tsar Boris also proved less malleable than Hitler hoped and following a meeting in Berlin in August 1943, the Tsar became seriously ill and died, aged 49. While stress and a heart condition were the official reasons for his death, rumours that he had been poisoned were voiced at the time and have since grown. Giovanna's son Simeon became the new Tsar and a regency was established led by his uncle Prince Kyril, which was considered more pliable by the Germans.
In the dying days of World War II, Bulgaria was invaded by the Soviet Union and Prince Kyril was tried by a People's Court and executed. Giovanna and Simeon remained in Bulgaria until 1946, when the new Communist government gave them 48 hours to leave the country. After initially fleeing to Egypt, they moved to Spain, where she lived the rest of her life, except for a brief return to Bulgaria in 1993 when she visited Boris's grave.
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