Macedonian historian Ivan Katardžiev was born in 1926 and died in 2018.

Ivan Katardžiev was thought of as the country’s most important expert on the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization and the Macedonian history under Yugoslavia as well as the early years of independence.

Katardžiev was also director of the Institute for National History.

During the 1950s Katardžiev was head of the University Library of Skopje, the Diaspora Office and served as secretary of the Institute for National History of Macedonia.

During recent years he has been criticized the Macedonian ruling party, the VMRO – DPMNE, for rehabilitating several Ottoman-era revolutionaries, who had before been blacklisted during Yugoslav rule for being too close linked to the Bulgarian side.

During October 2014 the Lustration Commission of Macedonia named Katardžiev as an informer of the state police during the 1950s.

He was accused of spying on history students who originated from Pirin Macedonia.

He was the head of the University Library in Skopje as well as the Diaspora Office during that time.

Katardžiev denied the claims and said Katardžiev was pressured himself by the police between 1955 and 1960.

Ivan Katardžiev passed away 92 years old.