If people like Dante, and I would assume most educated men of the time knew of Plato, then why is Plethon credited for reintroducing Plato to the west?
Is it simply that Plato was known but his texts lost? Or is the importance of Plethon's contribution exaggerated to highlight the supposed transition from medieval to renaissance Europe?
Is it simply that Plato was known but his texts lost?
This is the closest to the truth. Western thinkers knew who Plato was and even esteemed him as a philosopher and teacher, but the vast majority of his works were simply unavailable to them. For most of the Middle Ages the only available text was Calcidius's partial translation of the Timaeus, which experienced varying degrees of popularity in the West and was quite influential in the 12th century.