Apostolos Evangelou Vakalopoulos (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Απόστολος Ευαγγέλου Βακαλόπουλος; 11 August 1909 – 10 July 2000) was a distinguished Greek historian, specializing in the Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Greece, and in modern Greek history. Vakalopoulos has been described as one of the greatest Greek historians of the 20th century.[1]
Apostolos Vakalopoulos was born on 11 August 1909, in Volos, but grew up in Thessaloniki, where his family had settled in 1914.[2] He graduated from the newly established Philological Faculty of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and initially worked as a high school teacher in the 1930s.[2]
In 1939, Vakalopoulos completed his doctorate at the University of Thessaloniki, and began a tenure as lecturer at the university's Philological Faculty in 1943, eventually becoming a professor in 1951. Vakalopoulos continued in the same position until his retirement in 1974.[2]
Vakalopoulos was a founding member of the Society for Macedonian Studies in 1939, and a fixed presence in its board of governors.[2] He also served as chairman of the Institute for Balkan Studies.[2] Among numerous publications, the most well-known was his eight-volume History of Modern Hellenism series.[2]
Vakalopoulos died in Thessaloniki on 10 July 2000.[2]